Join the PMP Pals' Network today!
Join the patients and family caregivers in 49 countries who share resources and support
to help you enjoy good health!
Become a "Pal" and join in today's conversations with other patients and their families...
tips for successful survivorship
pros and cons of systemic chemo
preparing and recuperating from HIPEC
suggestions for gaining nutrition and weight after surgery
questions for interviewing surgeons
returning to the workplace after surgery, and much, much more!
The PMP Pals' Network is not affiliated with any online message boards or forums.
"Pals" are real people providing real solutions!
When you connect with the PMP Pals' Network, you have the freedom to exchange helpful information without jeopardizing your personal privacy!
Q: "What is the PMP Pals' Network?"
The PMP Pals' Network is a volunteer patient advocacy program providing resources, research and support for cancer patients and their families.
Q: "What is a "Pal?”
A “PMP Pal” is any patient, family caregiver (spouse, relative, friend, etc) interested in seeking and obtaining optimal treatment for any peritoneal surface malignancy and/or gastrointestinal cancer, colorectal cancer, appendix cancer, or Pseudomyxoma Peritonei
"Pals” include patients, and their friends and family members who love and support them. You may become a subscribing member as either a “Pal Patient” or a “Pal Caregiver.”
“Pals” exchange resources for obtaining state of the art medical treatment, and support for preparing for and recuperating from medical treatment!
“Pals” come from all walks of life! We serve people of all backgrounds in 49 countries!
If you, or a loved one, have been diagnosed with Appendix Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Mesolthelioma, Peritoneal Carcinomatosis, Pseudomyxoma Peritonei or any Peritoneal Surface Malignancy, you will want to become an active participant in the PMP Pals' Network!
Join the PMP Pals’ Network and become a participant in our “Pal family” today!
Call your Pals!
We're a phone call away!
Email your Pals!
Communicate with as many or as few Pals as you prefer via our private listserv groups!
Communicate with your Pals!
Get your questions answered!
Pals share practical tips for preparing for and recuperating from medical treatment, then moving forward to leading an active and fulfilling life!
Q: "How do Pals communicate with one another?"
PMP Pal members communicate and share resources directly through our Resource and Support Group listservs, via email , telephone calls, personal visits and SKYPE. We are not an impersonal cyberspace “chat room.” We are real people, just like you!
Q: "Do the Pal participants and Pal Mentors provide medical advice?"
Although many of our patients and family caregivers hold medical degrees, including RNs, DDS', and MDs (yes, healthcare professionals are diagnosed with cancer too) we do not provide medical advice. We do, however, provide helpful suggestions on a wide variety of topics related to preparing for, and recuperating from medical treatment, balancing medical treatment with family life, employment during treatment, financial aid and health insurance issues, adjustment to ostomies, and much, much more!
Q: "Who are the Pal Mentors?"
We have dozens of Pal Mentors around the world, from all walks of life!
Click here to view pix of a few of our Pal Mentors!
Q: "What info do I receive from the Resource & Support Group listservs?"
Each of the 24 private Resource and Support Groups includes names, phone numbers, email addresses, diagnosis, medical and medical treatment for each participant. This personal information is not posted on our website and is not shared with healthcare providers, cancer treatment centers or solicitors for donations.
Pals will share "tips" with you for ...
returning to work following treatment,
resuming an active lifestyle,
affects on your personal and social life,
diet and nutrition needs,
living with an ostomy, and will answer questions, eg,
Where can I find references for a particular surgeon?
How soon will I be able to eat following surgery?
Where can I obtain health insurance coverage?
and a myriad of other questions you may have!
Q: "How do I know which Pal Resource & Support Groups to participate in?
Click here to see a listing of our current groups!
Click here to see a listing of our current groups!
Q. "Can my spouse/partner participate in the Pal Resource & Support Groups?
Yes, s/he can participate under your same membership subscription, as long as s/he agrees to and signs the privacy agreement on our application, and uses an email name that clearly identifies him/her. No separate fee is required.
Yes, s/he can participate under your same membership subscription, as long as s/he agrees to and signs the privacy agreement on our application, and uses an email name that clearly identifies him/her. No separate fee is required.
Q: "Can my other relatives/family caregivers participate?
Yes, friends and family who live outside your home may participate if they join under their own membership as caregivers. A separate membership fee is required for processing, just like any other membership.
Q: "How is my privacy protected?"
If you're like most patients and their family caregivers, you don't want your personal information, including your health status, posted on the internet where current and prospective employers, creditors, Spokeo.com or other prying eyes may find it.
Pal member participants respect and and follow HIPAA guidelines to protect one another's privacy. We know how important it is to you to maintain the confidentiality of your specific health concerns and diagnosis, especially in today's challenging employment and health insurance market.Your name and personal questions won't be posted on a "group message board!"
Pal member participants are required to follow the international privacy guidelines posted on our Privacy Policy page regardless of the country where the "Pal" resides.
The PMP Pals' Network is not affiliated with any online "message boards", "chat rooms", or public Facebook postings.
If you're like most patients and their family caregivers, you don't want your personal information, including your health status, posted on the internet where current and prospective employers, creditors, Spokeo.com or other prying eyes may find it.
Pal member participants respect and and follow HIPAA guidelines to protect one another's privacy. We know how important it is to you to maintain the confidentiality of your specific health concerns and diagnosis, especially in today's challenging employment and health insurance market.Your name and personal questions won't be posted on a "group message board!"
Pal member participants are required to follow the international privacy guidelines posted on our Privacy Policy page regardless of the country where the "Pal" resides.
The PMP Pals' Network is not affiliated with any online "message boards", "chat rooms", or public Facebook postings.
Q: "Are all of the Pal participants Pal Mentors?"
No. Pal Mentors are pre screened, selected, trained and "matched" with patients and family caregivers based on experience, aptitude and communication skills. Most Pal Mentors have successfully recuperated from medical treatment and have been members of the PMP Pals' Network for two to twelve or more years!
Q: "Can I simply subscribe to the newsletter and not become a Pal participant?"
Yes, click here to subscribe to our online newsletter without participation in our Support & Resource group listservs. You'll receive fifty issues a year, plus special bulletins!
Q: "Which topics are addressed in the newsletter?"
Our newsletter is published in the English language and is distributed to patients, family caregivers and healthcare providers in 49 countries!
Each issue features updates about news focused on research, treatment and patient success stories!
Click here to see an abbreviated listing of some of the topics covered in "PMP Pals!"
Q: "Where can I learn more about the PMP Pals' Network?"
Please visit our About Us page where you can read about our mission, our history, our Advisory Councils and our policies.
Q: "How is the PMP Pals' Network funded?
The PMP Pals’ Network neither solicits nor accepts advertising revenue or subscription dues from physicians, pharmaceutical companies or manufacturers of medical equipment affiliated with cancer treatment. Newsletter subscriptions to PMP Pals are provided free of charge to cancer treatment healthcare providers.
Patients, their families and friends pay annual dues to support our program services so that we can remain independent and can feature the surgeons that vetted by our Advisory Council, thus maintaining our dedication to serving as patient advocates.
We support the services that we provide, including this web page, publications, conferences and mentoring programs as volunteers, through hours of service we donate to one another, and through subscription memberships to our publications.
Q: "How do I become a Pal Member?"
The PMP Pals’ Network is a membership program.
Non members are welcome to read all articles, including research, Frequently Asked Questions and our Blog Libraries without membership. We update www.pmppals.org daily, therefore, you are welcome to “browse” throughout our site as often as you wish!
For those patients and family caregivers who wish to participate in our Pal Support and Resource Groups as members, here is additional information:
Benefits of Becoming a “Pal” Member
= Weekly subscription to PMP Pals’ newsletter, distributed to patients, family caregivers and surgical oncologists in 49 countries each week
= Receive our exclusive series of 2012 Pal Handbooks including:
Questions to Ask Your Surgical Oncologist
Preparing for Surgery, HIPEC and Chemotherapy
Resources for Patients and Family Caregivers
Each 75 page handbook is specifically written by and for patients and their families
= Receive the series of National Cancer Institute handbooks, including What You Need to Know About Cancer
= Participation in up to two dozen specialized Pal Resource & Support Groups via telephone conference, email, personal visits
= Personalized answers to your specific questions while maintaining your personal privacy. Pal Resource & Support Groups are not online message boards where your personal information can be accessed by your employers, creditors, salespeople or identity thieves
= Participation in annual international PMP Pals’ Network conference weekends
= Options among three levels of membership, based on your specific needs
a. Basic (recommended for patients and their families, in remission)$65 for 2012*
b. Standard (recommended for established patients and those in “watch and wait”)$75 for 2012*
c. Expanded (recommended for newly diagnosed, and those preparing or recuperating from surgery)$100 for 2012*
*See Pals membership application at the bottom of this page for details
Non members are welcome to read all articles, including research, Frequently Asked Questions and our Blog Libraries without membership. We update www.pmppals.org daily, therefore, you are welcome to “browse” throughout our site as often as you wish!
For those patients and family caregivers who wish to participate in our Pal Support and Resource Groups as members, here is additional information:
Benefits of Becoming a “Pal” Member
= Weekly subscription to PMP Pals’ newsletter, distributed to patients, family caregivers and surgical oncologists in 49 countries each week
= Receive our exclusive series of 2012 Pal Handbooks including:
Questions to Ask Your Surgical Oncologist
Preparing for Surgery, HIPEC and Chemotherapy
Resources for Patients and Family Caregivers
Each 75 page handbook is specifically written by and for patients and their families
= Receive the series of National Cancer Institute handbooks, including What You Need to Know About Cancer
= Participation in up to two dozen specialized Pal Resource & Support Groups via telephone conference, email, personal visits
= Personalized answers to your specific questions while maintaining your personal privacy. Pal Resource & Support Groups are not online message boards where your personal information can be accessed by your employers, creditors, salespeople or identity thieves
= Participation in annual international PMP Pals’ Network conference weekends
= Options among three levels of membership, based on your specific needs
a. Basic (recommended for patients and their families, in remission)$65 for 2012*
b. Standard (recommended for established patients and those in “watch and wait”)$75 for 2012*
c. Expanded (recommended for newly diagnosed, and those preparing or recuperating from surgery)$100 for 2012*
*See Pals membership application at the bottom of this page for details
New members receive a free set of these workbooks with membership!
1. Preparing for a Consultation with a Surgeon
(Which questions should you ask a surgeon? Should you obtain a second or third opinion? How do you prepare your medical resume? Should you travel a long distance for medical care? Physician "profiles" etc.)
2. Preparing for Surgery and Chemotherapy
(How should you prepare for surgery? How long will it take to recuperate? What is HIPEC? What can you expect? etc)
3. Reference Guide for Patients and Family Caregivers
(What do you need to know about health insurance? How can you obtain help with travel to and from the hospital? How do you apply for disability benefits? How do you explain cancer to your children?, etc)
New members receive a free copy of this book with membership!
Life After Cancer Treatment
Helpful suggestions for patients and their families!
New members receive a free copy of this book with membership!
Spiritual Signs and Lessons of a Survivor!
by PMP Pal, Dr Robert Rauch
Service Menu of Program Benefit Choices
We offer three choices in our program service menu plan!
Select the plan that best meets your needs!
All three service plans include these benefits:
1. a subscription to our weekly online newsletter, "PMP Pals"
2. access to all online archived previous issues of "PMP Pals"
3. all free books as listed above
4. a set of patient workbook/handbooks, as listed above
5. participation in our Pal Resource Group listservs
6. Pal mentoring per your specific needs, based on the plan you select
7. Invitations to participate in our international Pal Conference Weekends,
plus your choice of:
Basic membership @ $65/year
Patients or family caregivers in good health who want to participate in our Resource & Support Group Listservs
Standard membership @ $75/year**
Patients or family caregivers preparing for or recuperating from medical treatment, require limited personal attention from Pal Mentors and want to participate in our Resource and Support Group Listservs
Expanded membership @ $100 per year**
Patients and family caregivers with challenged health, newly diagnosed or in the midst of medical treatment, who request specific personalized attention, require additional Pal Mentors and want to participate in our Resource Group Listservs
Q: "When do memberships expire?
All memberships expire on December 31 of each year.
Members receive all of the benefits, books and newsletter, per the plan they select**, for that particular year, regardless of the date they become members!
**Both the Standard and Expanded menu plans may also include these any of these free books during the year, depending on your needs:
What you Need to Know About Cancer,
Eating Hints: Before, During and After Cancer Treatment,
Chemotherapy and You,
What to Tell Your Teens About Your Cancer,
When Cancer Returns,
Advanced Cancer, etc, depending on the patient's specific needs. Postage may be required for books shipped outside of the USA.
Download, complete and return the membership application form (below) to us, with your membership registration dues...
Click to download the PMP PALS' Network 2012 Membership Application
(Allow a few seconds for the MS Word form to download)
(Click to download the printable form in pdf format.
Allow a few seconds for the form to download.)
Having trouble downloading the application? Contact us and we'll send it to you directly!
Membership Registration Dues
As a patient advocacy program we neither solicit nor accept funding or advertisements from cancer treatment centers, cancer healthcare providers or pharmaceutical companies. We support our program services through our membership dues and volunteer services.
Membership Registration Dues Payment Methods
Payment may be made via personal check, banker's cheque, per the printable application form above or electronically via Pay Pal, below.
Membership registration dues help defray the costs of our vendors for the following services:
computer software and hardware, website management and domain, the publication of our handbooks and printed materials, and the costs associated in services and products provided by our vendors.
Our vendors include:
Apple, AT&T, Carbonite, Comcast, Constant Contact, CVS Photo, Fat Cow, Geek Squad, Go Daddy, Kaspersky, Microsoft, Office Max,Office Depot, USPS domestic and global Priority Mail services, Paper Direct, Vista, Jose Espinoza Videography, and UOAA.
When paying via credit card, use the drop down menu below to select from Basic, Standard or Expanded membership registration dues.
Pro Bono Subscriptions and Memberships
The PMP Pals' Network provides pro bono scholarship memberships for patients experiencing financial hardship and who agree to follow international Pal Privacy Guidelines (see “We Protect Your Privacy at www.pmppals.org)
In North America the PMP Pals’ Network provides scholarship memberships for patients residing on Native American Indian reservations.
In the USA the PMP Pals’ Network provides scholarship memberships for patients receiving SSI, SNAP, Medicaid or UIB during cancer treatment and recuperation.
On the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America, on the subcontinent of Central America, in Pacific Rim countries, and in the Middle East, the PMP Pals' Network provides scholarship memberships for unemployed or underemployed patients.
The PMP Pals' Network provides pro bono scholarship memberships for patients experiencing financial hardship and who agree to follow international Pal Privacy Guidelines (see “We Protect Your Privacy at www.pmppals.org)
In North America the PMP Pals’ Network provides scholarship memberships for patients residing on Native American Indian reservations.
In the USA the PMP Pals’ Network provides scholarship memberships for patients receiving SSI, SNAP, Medicaid or UIB during cancer treatment and recuperation.
On the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America, on the subcontinent of Central America, in Pacific Rim countries, and in the Middle East, the PMP Pals' Network provides scholarship memberships for unemployed or underemployed patients.
Read what patients, families and surgeons say about the PMP Pals' Network!
Excerpts from messages we receive...
"The membership dues I paid for were the BEST investment I have made!" TJ, USA family of patient of Dr David L Bartlett
What a blessing! The PMP Pals organization helped me accept the truth, prepare to find my surgeon, manage my pre- and post- recovery processes and connected me with a mentor who had been through the surgery before. Without them I would have felt very much alone, may have lost hope and might not be here today. I met my surgeon through the PMP Pals. Last month I celebrated my 6th year cancer-free,and look forward to many more happy years to come. I continue to help the PMP Pals as a mentor myself, sharing from my experiences so that others my have hope in their treatments. If you or anyone you know have a similar type of cancer, please consider joining the PMP Pals--you are not alone and we are here to help!” MM, USA, patient of Dr Brian Loggie
“With PMP Pal's help, I found my Pal Mentor who helped me adjust to the difficulties of the surgery and pave my way to the treatment in the best available treatment. I am very grateful to PMP PALS, especially to Gabriella, for here help and enthusiasm, and to Jeanie my Pal Mentor who helped me to get over such a difficult period of my life” JL, UK, patient of Prof Brendan Moran
“PMP Pals provided invaluable suggestions and information on treatment options for my husband's rare cancer diagnosis. The information provided is extensive and research based. The director of PMP Pals is knowledgeable and compassionate. Without the services of PMP Pals, my husband would not have survived his initial diagnosis and treatment, primarily because the local physicians did not know how to treat the disease." SR, USA, family of a patient of Dr David L Bartlett
"Thank you for your support and assistance during my recuperation from surgery. This website is an outstanding resource and your handbooks are immensely helpful!" DN,USA, patient of Dr Paul Sugarbaker
Personal help from the PMP Pals' Network!
"Pals" are just a phone call away!
As a " Pal" you won't get lost in a cyberspace "message board!"
We're real people, with real answers and we're here for you!
*PMP Pals' Network Handbooks and Workbooks (included with each new membership)
Topics addressed in the series of PMP Pals’ Network Handbooks include:
Caregiving,
Chemotherapy; HIPEC, Chemotherapy; systemic
Coping Skills; overcoming depression
Clinical Trials and Research for a Cure
Diet and Nutrition; special needs, post op anorexia
Disease Free “Tips” shared from cancer free patients
Glossary; explanation of medical descriptions
Health Insurance: filing an appeal, obtaining health insurance, MediCaid
Imaging Diagnostic Tests; Scans
Infection Prevention
Medical History; organize your personal medical records
Obstructions and Blockages
Osteoporosis Post Surgery
Ostomy Care
Physical Fitness
Post Op Recuperation
Power of Attorney: advanced healthcare directive information
Pre Op Preparation: CRS
Pre Op Q&A
Prescription and Medications
“Profiles” of Surgeon Specialists
Preparing for a Consultation with a Specialist: questions to ask
Recommended Reading; cancer patient & caregiver advocacy
Research and Clinical Trials
Resources for Young Families
Senior Services
Travel for Medical Care; free and low cost travel and lodging, and more!
Topics addressed in the series of PMP Pals’ Network Handbooks include:
Caregiving,
Chemotherapy; HIPEC, Chemotherapy; systemic
Coping Skills; overcoming depression
Clinical Trials and Research for a Cure
Diet and Nutrition; special needs, post op anorexia
Disease Free “Tips” shared from cancer free patients
Glossary; explanation of medical descriptions
Health Insurance: filing an appeal, obtaining health insurance, MediCaid
Imaging Diagnostic Tests; Scans
Infection Prevention
Medical History; organize your personal medical records
Obstructions and Blockages
Osteoporosis Post Surgery
Ostomy Care
Physical Fitness
Post Op Recuperation
Power of Attorney: advanced healthcare directive information
Pre Op Preparation: CRS
Pre Op Q&A
Prescription and Medications
“Profiles” of Surgeon Specialists
Preparing for a Consultation with a Specialist: questions to ask
Recommended Reading; cancer patient & caregiver advocacy
Research and Clinical Trials
Resources for Young Families
Senior Services
Travel for Medical Care; free and low cost travel and lodging, and more!
The PMP Pals' Network supports the conservation of fuel and paper products!
The PMP Pals' Network updates our website 364 days per year with a wide variety of new information to keep you informed about maintaining optimal health!
Whether you seek information about research studies, health insurance, personal mentoring, diet and exercise, new treatment options, and so much more, the PMP Pals' Network is your "go to" place for information!
This page last updated on 03.24.12
