Join the Buddy Program®!
Looking for a way to pay it forward? Join the Buddy Program®
As a survivor or caregiver, you know better than anyone else what it is like to go through treatment, how to deal with side effects, and how to manage all the emotions—highs and lows—that come with a cancer diagnosis. Share your experience and expertise by volunteering as a peer-to-peer Buddy to another patient, survivor, or family member.
Our certified Patient & Family Support Navigators are here to connect you with a vetted Buddy who has been through a similar diagnosis to offer meaningful and useful advice that helped them get through colorectal cancer.
Buddy Spolight
Yvette Perry is a stage IV rectal patient, young-onset advocate, and a Buddy.
Yvette was diagnosed with stage I rectal cancer at 41, but four years later was diagnosed with stage IVc. She was declared NED (no evidence of disease) in 2018 but has had many recurrences since then. Every time something happened, Yvette turned to the Alliance’s Nation of Allies and had tips and emotional support within minutes. Yvette returns the favor within the Buddy Program.
Becoming a Buddy was an “easy decision” for Yvette because she didn’t want others to feel alone in their journey. Through phone, email, text, and even social media, Yvette showcases cancer's “real side” and what it’s like to live with late-stage colorectal cancer. “I’m there to be helpful and get help in return.”
Yvette spends a lot of time chatting with early-stage colorectal cancer patients because her personal learning lessons can help them know how to advocate for themselves better. “If I had known then what I know now about stage I, I might not have reached stage IV.”
Yvette, Buddies, and The Alliance know that we are all in this together. NO ONE fights alone.