While more people are surviving cancer than ever before, life after treatment brings its own set of challenges. Living Well Beyond Cancer: A self-management program for cancer survivors and caregivers empowers people to acquire the tools they need to make the best of their lives while living with and beyond cancer.

The program is led by Canadian Cancer Society-trained Peer Leader volunteers, who deliver the program and share their experiences as cancer survivors and caregivers. These Peer Leaders have had a personal experience with cancer themselves, either as a cancer survivor or as someone who has cared for a loved one living with cancer. Living Well Beyond Cancer is offered in a weekly 2.5 hour-long session over six consecutive weeks, in small group settings to allow for open discussion and feedback. The program is free and includes a resource book.

Living Well Beyond Cancer is based on research conducted by Stanford University and the University of Victoria in the development of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. The program coaches survivors and caregivers on how to:

• Deal with the emotional, physical and social aspects of living with and beyond cancer
• Manage symptoms, treatment side effects and medications
• Improve communication with healthcare team members and others
• Lead a healthy lifestyle, manage stress, set goals and problem solve