Peer Support / Woman to Woman
OCRA’s Woman to Woman (W2W) Peer Mentor Program is a unique support program for individuals impacted by gynecologic cancer.
Woman to Woman provides gynecologic cancer patients, survivors, or loved ones with a trained Mentor who has a similar personal experience and can share their own insights and perspective. These trained Woman to Woman Mentors are available to connect from the moment of diagnosis through the end of treatment and beyond. Woman to Woman Mentors are here to ensure that you are not alone.
How Woman to Woman Mentors Provide Support
Mentors meet with you – whether by phone, video call, or in person – to listen, discuss your concerns, share their own experiences, offer support, and sometimes, just hold your hand.
Mentors are carefully matched based on your specific concerns, and by factors like diagnosis, age, language, culture, and familial role. They are professionally trained and supervised by a Coordinator (typically a licensed social worker or nurse practitioner) who also oversees the program. Through training, Mentors learn active listening, communication skills, and methods for addressing your concerns without giving medical advice.
Mentors inspire hope and offer the kind of unique insights that can only come from someone who has experienced their own cancer journey. Their support can be invaluable as you start treatment or adjust to life after diagnosis.
Thinking of Becoming a Woman to Woman Mentor?
The first step toward becoming a Woman to Woman Mentor is to complete a Mentor application. Upon acceptance to the program, Mentors first participate in an intense training session, where they receive an overview of the complex issues associated with gynecologic cancers. Mentors often gain a deeper understanding of their own relationship to their or their loved one’s illness, as they prepare to step into the Mentor role.
Patients, survivors, and loved ones of those impacted by gynecologic cancer may apply to be Woman to Woman Mentors.
How Woman to Woman was founded
Woman to Woman was founded by ovarian cancer survivor Valerie Goldfein at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in 2004. Recognizing the importance of peer support, Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) was a long-time supporter of Woman to Woman at Mount Sinai, and in 2011 expanded the program nationally as OCRA’s signature support program.
Since then, OCRA has supported the development of over 50 program sites. Today, there are 24 active Woman to Woman sites nationwide, including a large national team of OCRA Woman to Woman Mentors to ensure all those impacted by ovarian and gynecologic cancer, regardless of location, can connect with a Mentor who has shared a similar experience.