Patient and Caregiver Support Group

The Esophageal Cancer Education Foundation facilitates free monthly Support Group Conference Call Meetings for Esophageal Cancer patients and caregivers. ECEF from time to time will feature a speaker (i.e. a medical professional, patient, and/or caregiver),presenting on various topics of importance to Esophageal Cancer patients and caregivers, such as:

1. Nutrition
2. Depression
3. Recovery Process
4. Esophageal Cancer Research

Each Support Group Conference Call Meeting is roughly an hour long and broken into two  segments:

1. Segment 1: a 15-minute presentation by a speaker
2. Segment 2: a 45-minute participant discussion.

Because each Support Group Conference Call is limited to 10-15 participants, we hold several Conference Calls each month (all on the same topic for that month) to accommodate everyone who wants to participate.

If you would like to participate, please sign up HERE and be sure to check the box that indicates that you want to part of a support group? If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Foundation at (732)446-8520

Under construction: We will have the ability to listen to the presentation that are given at our monthly support group conference call meetings. 

Lost Loved One Support Group

We also have a conference call support group meeting for people who have lost a loved one to this disease. Please contact the Foundation at 732-446-8520 if you would like to be a part of this group. The group is directed by an experienced social worker.

MSKCC Survivorship and Esophageal Cancer: Finding a New Balance 

This informational and discussion group is designed to help survivors adjust to the changes that follow surgery for esophageal cancer.  Family members are welcome. The discussion group meets every other month on the second Monday. Please register in advance for this group at 646 888 4740.  More information about this group and others can be found on the MSKCC Living Beyond Cancer Website:  http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/58022.cfm or call Resources for Life After Cancer 646 888 4740. 

Beth Israel Gastro / Esophageal Cancer Support Group

This support group meets monthly on the second Monday of the month at 6:30pm at Phillips Ambulatory Care Center 10 Union Square East suite 4a Bogart conference room. If you would like to know more about this support group please contact Margot Lestrange at 212-420-4041. New attendees must contact Margot Lestrange before attending meeting.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Connections

MSKCC CONNECTIONS is an on-line community designed for patients and caregivers to exchange support information and inspiration.   The community is open to all patients and caregivers whether you have been treated at MSKCC or not.  ECEF has created a group within this site specifically for esophageal cancer patients and caregivers.

Bart Frazzitta, ECEF’s President and co-founder, will be the moderator of the esophageal cancer group on this site. Come join us and register which is totally secure and exchange your thoughts and comments in an on-line environment.

To join the group, go the Connections sign-up page at http://www.mskcc.net/ and create yourself an account.  You will need to reference the unique key phrase mskcc123 when registering.  Once you have an account setup, you can join the Esophageal Cancer group by clicking on the Select a Group drop-down under Groups on the right-hand side of your home page.  From here, you can click the Join Group button to join the group.