Social networking sites provides support to cancer patients and their families

Recently, the media has been all "a-twitter" (pardon the pun) about the growing popularity of social networking web sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others. Less-known, however, are the social networking sites created specifically to serve patients and families facing health challenges like mesothelioma or other illnesses.

One of the longest-running social networking sites of its kind, Caring Bridge, is a non-profit web service that helps to connect family and friends during a critical illness, treatment, or recovery. Since it was founded in 1997, more than 155,000 personal pages have been created by patients or their loved ones.

Here’s how it works: the patient or a family member can create a customized website with one of the easy to use templates on the Caring Bridge web site. Family and friends can be kept abreast of the patient’s progress through the patient care journal and photo gallery, and can post words of encouragement through the guestbook. The website can be password protected if the patient prefers. The service is free of charge.

Caring Bridge benefits the patient and family alike by keeping concerned loved ones informed of the patient’s condition without the need for multiple phone calls or emails. It also creates a mini support group for the patient in which people can encourage and motivate the patient. If you would like some examples of how this works, the Caring Bridge website features stories about how the service has benefited some of its users.

For more information or to create a web page of your own, go to www.caringbridge.org.