“What can I do to help?” is a question mesothelioma families often hear but don’t know how to answer. It is hard to say, “How about going to the grocery store for me?” or “Well, you can come over and clean my house?”
You don’t have to. You can get a little help from your friends and neighbors in a coordinated non-embarrassing way with a little help from the internet. A handful of online sites provide ways to give people the opportunity to sign on to do as much or as little as they can.
All it takes is one person – a friend, relative or neighbor – to create a virtual sign-up sheet and email a link to it to everyone you know. Just give him or her email addresses for those who want to be included. And now in keeping up with technology, these sites are also interactive on smart phones.
Lotsa Helping Hands Launched by an exhausted husband and dad after his wife lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 2005 as a way to help other caregivers, the site provides a help calendar where volunteers can sign up to sign up for tasks that provide caregiver support including meals for the family, rides to medical appointments, and visits. Coordinators can post tasks that require help so volunteers can easily see what’s needed. Regular reminders are sent to volunteers so that no one forgets their commitments.
Sign Up GeniusThis is a multi-purpose customizable site for organizing groups and coordinating activities of any kind. It was started in 2005 as an easy way to coordinate and organize multiple types of groups including kids’ sports teams and church groups. If you are trying to hold a community event such as a fun run or neighborhood garage sale to raise funds and awareness for mesothelioma, this site could provide the help you need to get started.
GiveForwardWhat mesothelioma families may really need is help with medical bills for cancer treatment or funeral expenses. Get donations and words of encouragement with the help of this thoughtfully designed website. GiveForward is an online fundraising and donation website specifically for raising money for a loved one in need. “We are the #1 platform to start a medical fundraiser and the only site with fundraising coaches who provide fundraising ideas and guidance on how to raise money online,” their website states.
Cleaning For a Reason Women coping with mesothelioma may feel additional stress from being unable to clean their homes like they used to. This site, a nonprofit serving the entire United States and Canada, partners with maid services to offer free professional house cleanings to help women undergoing treatment for any type of cancer. Introduced by Oprah Winfrey when it launched in 2008, their website states, “To date, we have provided more than 17,000 cleanings for women with cancer with a value of more than $4 million in donated cleanings, and partnered with over 1000 maid services.”