Imerman Angels Will Launch New Digital Toolkit to Help Cancer Caregivers Care for Themselves While Caring for a Loved One 

November’s National Family Caregivers Month and Imerman Angels’ 20th Anniversary Year Highlight the Importance of Caring for the Caregiver, Too 

CHICAGO, October 13, 2026 – As Imerman Angels celebrates its 20th anniversary of connecting people affected by cancer with personalized peer support, the organization will launch the Cancer Caregiver Companion: How to Take Care of Yourself When You’re Caring for Others  on November 1 to address the emotional and practical challenges faced by those caring for someone with cancer. The free resource will be available beginning in National Family Caregivers Month, recognized each November to honor caregivers and raise awareness of the challenges they face.

The Cancer Caregiver Companion: How to Take Care of Yourself When You’re Caring for Others will be available beginning November 1 at www.imermanangels.org.

When someone receives a cancer diagnosis, the impact extends far beyond the patient. Family members and friends often become caregivers overnight, taking on responsibilities that can include coordinating appointments, managing medications and providing emotional support, all while trying to maintain their own work, family, and personal responsibilities. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, 63 million adults in the United States- or one in four- are caregivers.

Yet while caregivers have access to resources focused on the practical demands of caring for someone with cancer, often less attention is given to the emotional and psychosocial toll caregiving can take. Caregivers may experience stress, exhaustion, anxiety, isolation, and burnout while trying to remain strong for their loved one. At times, a caregiver can feel as if no one truly understands what they are going through.

Imerman Angels created the Cancer Caregiver Companion to fill that gap. The guidebook was developed specifically for people caring for someone with cancer, with a focus on the caregiver’s needs, experiences and emotional health. It recognizes that caregivers have needs of their own and deserve dedicated resources designed specifically for them.

The Cancer Caregiver Companion brings together information and insights from leading experts with practical, actionable tips from Imerman Angels’ Caregiver Mentor Angels, volunteer peer mentors who have navigated many of these same experiences. By combining expert knowledge with lived experience, the resource offers caregivers both evidence-informed guidance and the perspective of someone who has been there.

The resource provides practical information, guidance, and resources to help caregivers navigate the physical, emotional, and everyday demands of caregiving while making space for their own health and needs.

“Caregivers often put their own needs at the bottom of the list because they’re focused on helping the person diagnosed,” said Stephanie Lieber, Executive Director of Imerman Angels. “But caregivers’ well-being matters. Caring for someone with cancer can be demanding and making space for your own emotional and physical needs is an important part of navigating the caregiver experience.”

 

Resources in the Cancer Caregiver Companion include guidance on:

·       Recognizing the signs of caregiver stress and burnout

·       Making time for personal health and self-care

·       Setting boundaries and asking for help

·       Managing the emotional challenges of caregiving

·       Staying connected with family, friends, and one’s own support system

·       Finding practical ways to reduce the day-to-day demands of caregiving

·       Knowing when additional resources may be needed

The resource also offers caregivers an opportunity to see their experiences reflected, recognize that their feelings are valid, and know that they are not alone.

“Imerman Angels hopes the Cancer Caregiver Companion will serve as a reminder that caregivers are not simply helping someone else through a cancer experience; they are living their own experience too,” said Lieber. “We wanted to create something specifically for them, something that acknowledges the emotional and psychosocial challenges of caregiving and provides both expert guidance and the real-world perspective of people who have been there.”

The Cancer Caregiver Companion is part of Imerman Angels’ commitment to ensuring that no one faces cancer alone, including the family members and friends who are there throughout the cancer experience.

The milestone year adds significance to the new resource. Founded in 2006 by John May and cancer survivor Jonny Imerman, Imerman Angels is celebrating two decades of connecting people affected by cancer with someone who has been there. Through its personalized matching process, the organization connects cancer fighters, survivors, previvors and caregivers with trained Mentor Angels whose cancer experiences and life circumstances are like their own.

Information about Imerman Angels’ cancer patient and caregiver peer-support program is available at www.imermanangels.com. The Cancer Caregiver Companion will be available beginning November 1.

#               #               #

About Imerman Angels

Imerman Angels is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring no one faces cancer alone. Founded in 2006 by John May and cancer survivor Jonny Imerman, the organization has provided free, personalized one-on-one support to cancer fighters, survivors, previvors and caregivers, connecting them with trained Mentor Angels who have experienced a similar cancer journey. As Imerman Angels celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026, the organization has made more than 49,000 matches in 123 countries, providing compassionate support regardless of cancer type or stage. To learn more, request support or become a Mentor Angel, visit www.imermanangels.com or call 866-IMERMAN (866-463-7626).