Rallee Is Partnering with AONN+ to Support People Facing Cancer

Krissy and I, founders of Rallee, both have experience walking alongside parents who have been diagnosed with cancer. Krissy lost her stepdad to cancer when she was in middle school and our first Rallee ever was for my mom.

When she was diagnosed with cancer, we launched Rallee so friends and family would have an easy way to show up. What followed was seven-months of chemo and surgery.

We thought maybe 10 or 15 people would join her Rallee. Instead, 150 people joined!

Friends signed up for meals. Loved ones sent messages that got her through hard days. Others gave her blankets, flowers, and gift cards. She was never alone at a chemo appointment and felt her community rally behind her.

Since then, we've helped more than 10,000 people support loved ones through major life events including many cancer journeys. We've seen friends deliver ice and do laundry for a friend whose post-surgery situation meant they couldn't lift any weight. Donations have poured in for families who could use all the help they can get after an unexpected diagnosis. And we’ve seen countless meals dropped off and rides given to the hospital. These small acts add up and make loved ones feel seen, known and loved.

Today, we're proud to share a new partnership with AONN+ to continue supporting people with cancer

Rallee is collaborating with the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) to expand practical support for people affected by cancer and their caregivers by connecting oncology navigation expertise with easy-to-use tools for coordinating meals, transportation, errands, updates, donations, and other community support.

To explain why this matters so much to us, I want to talk about the people at the heart of AONN+'s work.

What is an oncology nurse navigator?

An oncology nurse navigator is a registered nurse with cancer-specific clinical knowledge who gives patients, families, and caregivers individualized help getting past barriers in the healthcare system. For many families, a nurse navigator may be the first person they meet after a cancer diagnosis, and that person helps guide them through what comes next.

Those barriers aren't only medical. The goal of navigation is to reduce the harm cancer causes by removing obstacles to timely care, whether they're financial, psychological, logistical, or about communication and the healthcare system itself. In practice, nurse navigators provide comprehensive assessments, education, support tailored to each patient, and help with decision-making. They also coordinate patient-centered care by communicating with everyone on the cancer care team.

Their work makes a measurable difference. Research shows that navigation facilitates shorter time to diagnosis and treatment, better patient and caregiver understanding, improved treatment adherence, and better quality of life. Navigation is now a core part of cancer care: the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has required navigation in accredited programs since 2015.

What is an oncology social worker?

Oncology social workers understand cancer and how the disease, its treatment, and survivorship affect people's lives, and most hold a master's degree. The Association of Oncology Social Work describes oncology social work as the main profession providing psychosocial care to patients and the people closest to them.

Their work covers a lot of ground. It includes individual, family, and group counseling, education, advocacy, discharge planning, case management, and patient navigation. The goal is to help patients use the healthcare system well, cope with what's happening, mobilize community resources, and take an active part in their own care decisions.

Much of their work is practical. Social workers help with insurance, find financial resources, and connect families with community services and support groups. Their work can range from screening for distress and depression to solving transportation problems. They also help families with conversations that are hard to start, such as how to talk with family members about cancer.

Their support also lasts. Oncology social work is available through every phase of cancer, from prevention and diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, palliative care, end of life, and bereavement.

A team that works together

Nurse navigators and social workers aren't the only guides. Navigation also includes non-clinical patient navigators, who help patients through the healthcare system by finding and removing barriers to care. Community health workers bring that support into neighborhoods and homes.

To every navigator, nurse, social worker, and community health worker: thank you. So much of what makes a hard diagnosis survivable happens in your conversations every single day.

What this collaboration means

When a navigator or social worker asks, "Who's helping you at home?", the answer is often a long list of people who want to help but don't know how. We built Rallee for that moment.

Families can set up a Rallee to support their loved one following a tough diagnosis. It is easy to set up a Rallee to coordinate meals, rides, errands, childcare, visits, crowdfunding, and updates in one place. It never replaces professional navigation or clinical care. Instead, it helps the people who already love a patient turn good intentions to action.

Over the coming year, we'll share Rallee resources with the AONN+ community. We'll also share AONN+ navigation and survivorship resources with Rallee families. And we'll keep listening to patients, caregivers, and navigators to learn about opportunities to further support them. We have deep respect for the professionals who guide families through cancer, and we're honored to come alongside the AONN+ community to provide a way for their patients and caregivers to organize support from their community.

Rallee is free, and we'll never ask your supporters to donate to us

Rallee is completely free to use. There are no ads and no premium tiers. And we will never ask your friends and family to donate to Rallee.

Every ask on a Rallee page is about the person who needs help, not about us. If you've used other care pages before and are looking for something simpler, see how Rallee compares as a CaringBridge alternative.

Start a Rallee

If someone you love is facing cancer, or any other hard season, you don't have to coordinate it all alone. Start a free Rallee in under a minute and let your community show up.

My mom's Rallee taught me that people are waiting to help. We're grateful to work alongside the navigators and care teams who help make that possible.

Contributors

Written by Kevin Holst, Co-Founder, Rallee

A huge thanks to the following people for reviewing this article:

Krissy Holst, Co-Founder, Rallee

Gwen Coverdale, Director, Marketing/Communications, AONN+