Online Support Offers Hope

 
Mackenzie, her mom Jeannine & sister Karissa

Over the past six years, more than 3,000 individuals have registered to use the Virtual Support Centre message board. Nearly 5,000 posts under a broad range of categories have given hope to thousands of patients and caregivers across the country. Many turn to the website for information, while others, like Jeannine Popoff and her daughter Mackenzie, went online simply to find someone to talk to.

After being diagnosed with a Medulloblastoma brain tumour at the age of thirteen, Mackenzie felt the need to connect with another teenager who could understand her anxieties. Jeannine wanted to meet another caregiver who could relate to her situation as a mother who felt helpless. She watched her daughter battle the illness for eleven months before Mackenzie passed away in October of last year.

Throughout this journey, they regularly visited the message board and felt optimistic whenever someone responded to their posts. The encouraging words inspired Mackenzie and gave her some sense of relief. The companionship that Jeannine received from long-distance friend Pia made coping a little bit easier: "It was important to have someone who was always there for you. We would compare notes, vent to each other, offer that extra boost when the other person really needed it, and be a shoulder to cry on when things took a turn for the worst."

While the message board was convenient for patients and caregivers who had busy schedules, Jeannine believes that a chat would have been helpful for her and Mackenzie. "As a caregiver, I know that many times you actually need to talk to someone because you were having a melt down. It would have been nice to type it out right then," Jeannine says candidly. As a mother, she also recognizes that adolescents have different issues than adults. "It would have been valuable for Mackenzie to talk to another teen who could identify with hair loss, friendships and all the other fears she had."