In one of the blogs I read yesterday, I can't remember which one, the concept of a 'cancer coach' was mentioned. I thought 'cancer coach'? What can that be? So I turned to Google and found there are people out there making a living as 'cancer coaches'. These people claim they can help someone with cancer navigate their way through treatment and make sure they get the right treatment. I call them scammers who are making a living off people who are dealing with major trauma.
I will not do them the honor of linking to them here. They offer services 'coaching and educational services' or are an 'expert and survivor'. These people are lower than low. Taking money from those who are struggling for their lives through treatment. I am appalled. I am more than appalled. I am beyond words
First of all if these people really wanted to help others with cancer, they wouldn't make a living doing it. They wouldn't charge them. They would set up a non profit or something to help them to offer needed help for free or at low cost.
When someone is diagnosed with cancer or has a recurrence or spread, the snake oil salesmen come out of the woodwork. I can't tell you how many times I have been offered 'a cure' for cancer. If I send a small fee, they will give me the cure I need. These are horrible people who prey on those who are struggling with the lowest points in their lives.
Cancer coach? No, they are not. They are snake oil salesmen. I have been through cancer twice - so maybe I have twice the experience?
11 comments:
I have to agree with you!
www.rebeccabany.com
I hear you Caroline. I know which site you're talking about and that did not even register with me.
I think I assumed she was employed in that role by an organization (like a clinic or health and wellness group). I would never have paid someone who had just hung out his or her own shingle to offer these services. But I would have liked having someone other than my husband vetting information for me and guiding us through the options and services available to us. I had a lovely social worker, but it wasn't the right person to fill this role.
Thanks for making me think about this again.
Disgraceful.when people stoop to such levels to make money you can just feel sorry for them.Sooner or later their scam will be alarming most cancer patients...this is an eye opener to be aware of them.
I've served as a sort of coach to women who've been diagnosed with breast cancer since my dx and tx finished but these are women I know or know through a friend and I share my knowledge FREELY because that's the right thing to do. Charge for that? Oh hell no. Now if I had written a book about it (as I do plan to do) then sure the book should sell for a price like any other book, but that's different.
Also, I find these fee-charging coaches no different than the sly and slimy sites who stalk cancer related blogs and post comments to us to get us to link to their advertising or directory listing websites under the guise of "educating" patients. Those people make me sick too. hugs, Julie
Regarding the comments on this site about cancer coaches, I have to strongly disagree with you all. As a two time breast cancer survivor, I would have loved a viable option to seeing a therapist after my treatments were over (both times) and I was trying to re-create my life.
I was especially taken aback by the following comment:
"First of all if these people really wanted to help others with cancer, they wouldn't make a living doing it. They wouldn't charge them. "
Wow. Do you really feel that way? That's like arguing that oncologists shouldn't charge anything if they really wanted to help others with cancer. If a cancer coach is truly a trained professional who's offering a free sample session so that a potential cancer survivor can check out what it's like to work with them and also to get a taste of how they can benefit from hiring the coach, then I don't see why you'd think this type of person is a slimy opportunist. I don't mean to be rude, but I wonder if the negative comments here were posted by people who do not have a true understanding of the amazing value a life coach can bring to someone . . . even to a breast cancer survivor. My hope is that perhaps some of you might be a little more open minded about this topic. True coaches are very, very motivated by helping people. There's no reason that they shouldn't be paid for their time and skills.
I want to let you all know that I've thought about my comments that I posted yesterday. I've re-read people's previous posts and realized that I may have misunderstood the intent of some of those posts.
I think some of you expressed negativity about people taking advantage of people who were going through the intense emotional journey of dealing with breast cancer and its treatments. I think you were commenting on the inappropriateness of some people taking advantage of others while they were in such a challenged, vulnerable state. And I must agree with you that if someone has the intent to hang out a shingle in order to scam or take advantage of a group of vulnerable people, that's not acceptable in any way, shape or form.
What I mostly wanted to convey yesterday was that there are life coaches out there - me included - that are well trained and qualified to offer tremendous assistance to breast cancer survivors. My focus is on women who have completed their treatments and are trying to figure out who they are, what they want to do now, and how to live with the fact that they are breast cancer survivors. I offer a tremendously valuable service to those that are coachable and can see the immense value that working with a coach can add to their lives.
I apologize if my prior post was a bit aggressive . . . but I really felt like coaches were being judged inappropriately and labeled as scammers.
I welcome your feedback!
Since my post is too large to print as one post, I have broken it down into two parts. Please read PART 1 before you read PART 2.
PART 1: I just read Caroline's "Oopsie!" post (which is in response to my posts here (under "Cancer Coach?") and I'd like to share the following:
Caroline, I think you and I are coming from very different worlds and, due to our collective life experiences, see things quite differently. That's fine, but in our case it doesn't look like it's leading to any warm fuzzies.
I wanted to specifically comment on your last two statements:
"Maybe I am a little overly sensitive on the subject and there may be some well intentioned people out there but there are lots more slimy snake oil salesmen.
But its my blog and I can write what I want. You will also note, you were out voted 4 to 1 on opinions."
First of all, Caroline, I do not share your belief that there are lots more slimy snake oil salesmen than well intentioned people out there. It saddens me that you have such a negative perception of who's out there in the world. I believe that a person's belief system greatly affects what shows up in their life on an ongoing basis and that, in turn, plays a huge part in ones happiness level. Maybe you're a happy person, but that's not what comes across in this post and in other posts that you've written.
If you're not intimately familiar with the law of attraction, there could be some benefit to you in reading about it. I believe it's one of the most powerful laws that exists at this point in time . . . and it works whether you are aware of it or not. An awareness of it, though, allows you to embrace it as an incredibly powerful tool that for many is life enhancing if not totally life changing.
According to the law of attraction, if you focus on there being more "slimy snake oil salesmen" in the world than "well intentioned people", more sliminess will show up in your life. And that will only reinforce your belief that there "may" be well intentioned people in the world but for the most part, the world is filled with slimy snake oil salesmen. And, quite frankly, that doesn't sound like a recipe for happiness if you ask me.
Secondly, telling me that I was "out voted" certainly seems immature. This is not a contest (or is it? Did I miss something???). This is a place to share opinions. I'm fine with you sharing yours, but I'm really not so sure that you're fine with me sharing mine. After all, your comment tells me that you have a need to come up on top or be the victor.
(PLEASE READ PART 2 NOW)
Since my post is too large to print as one post, I have broken it down into two parts. Please read PART 1 before you read PART 2.
POST 2
Your comment telling me that I was "out voted" made me think of the many geniuses over time that were ridiculed for their ideas. (Remember learning that at one point almost everyone - except a small number of people who turned out to be brilliant in retrospect - thought the notion of the earth being round was simply ludicrous?) It doesn't bother me a bit that others disagree with me. And I'm not at all suggesting that I'm a genius just because others disagree with me! However, when you say that I was "out voted", you're counting posts that were made before mine, not after mine. I specifically chose to post knowing that I was saying something that was in opposition to prior posts. That's the whole reason why I chose to post in the first place. I thought that some posters - you included - did not have an accurate sense of what life coaching for breast cancer survivors was all about.
My comment to everyone: There are very few life coaches out there that have felt a calling to target breast cancer survivors as their niche and market, and to offer their life coaching skills/expertise to this group of people. Life coaches do not need to be experts on a particular topic in order to be extremely effective as a coach. Yes, I did say "extremely effective" and I meant it. A skilled life coach can effectively coach many people on many topics. However, there needs to be a level of connection between a coach and a client in order for them to be effective as a team. Some clients need a higher level of connection while others are satisfied with a lower level of connection. Either way, that level of connection is usually strengthened when a potential client has evidence that the life coach "gets" who they are, what they've been through, what their challenges are, etc. (By the way, good coaches will not hesitate to refer a potential client to another coach when they believe the other coach can better serve that client.) And just so you know, Caroline, while there is not a program to become a certified "Breast Cancer Coach", a certified life coach who specializes in helping those who have had breast cancer can be worth their weight in gold.
Should anyone wish to contact me (a well intentioned person, not a snake oil salesman) for a free sample coaching session, please email me at beloving@comcast.net. It will be my pleasure to have a coaching session with you via telephone so you can get a first hand experience of the power of coaching! Only then can you judge for yourself if you believe a life coach can greatly assist a breast cancer survivor in living a phenomenal life. I hope to hear from you if you'd like to explore this path or to simply learn more about my invaluable services.
Cheers ~
Lori
Lori! Do you have a blog and a web site?
a note to breast reconstruction surgery Los Angeles...
you said "Disgraceful.when people stoop to such levels to make money you can just feel sorry for them."
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!
I suppose you guys don't make any money preying on people's vanity.
I had a double mastectomy and I love my "boy chest".
Cancer coaches are not a scam, they don't make a lot of money (like you guys do).
Cynthia's comment
"I hear you Caroline. I know which site you're talking about and that did not even register with me."
Please share the site with the rest of us. Maybe if we saw what created such a negative reaction from you guys, we could better understand.
So Cynthia and Caroline. What site was it? Check out crazysexycancer.com Kris Carr (author, wellness coach and motivational speaker) She is the quintissencial Cancer Coach.
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