Mission and History

Our global network traces its roots back to 1982, during a time when our founders Dr. Harold H. and Harriet Benjamin sought to create a community that would provide social and emotional support and a community for cancer patients and their families and friends – all free of charge. The vision was no one should face cancer alone – and The Wellness Community was formed.

Gilda Radner, the late comedian and an original cast member on Saturday Night Live benefited from The Wellness Community after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1986.  Although Gilda passed away in 1989, her husband, Gene Wilder, and her psychotherapist, Joanna Bull, together with other friends and family founded Gilda’s Club New York City and opened their doors in 1995.

In July 2009, The Wellness Community and Gilda’s Club Worldwide joined forces to become the Cancer Support Community (CSC). Today, CSC provides the highest quality emotional and social support through a network of over 200 locations, including network partners, hospitals and other healthcare clinics, satellite, outreach and university locations, in person and online.

Here in the Greater Boston area, The Wellness Community continued as Facing Cancer Together merging with CSC Massachusetts in 2022.

CSC Massachusetts provides essential services including support groups, education, healthy lifestyle programs and proactive navigation. Led by licensed mental health professionals who have clinical experience in oncology care, all our programs are evidence-based, inclusive, and offered at no cost to Massachusetts residents.

Our Global Network in Action

As a network, we deliver more than $50 million in free support and navigation services to patients and families. 

In addition, we administer a toll-free helpline and produce award-winning educational and digital resources that, together with the locations, reach more than one million people each year. 

We also conduct cutting-edge research on the emotional, psychological, and financial journey of cancer patients and advocate at all levels of government for policies to help individuals whose lives have been disrupted by cancer. 

Our Support of Inclusion and Equity for All

We believe in equity for all, including in health care, and fight every day to ensure that all people are treated with dignity and respect and have the opportunity to live healthy and safe lives — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

We commit to listen, educate ourselves, and stand in solidarity with communities of color in these challenging times. We will create and maintain a climate of inclusion. We will hold our leaders, policymakers, and those in positions of power accountable with the expectation and conviction that these measures will end the inequalities we struggle with today and ensure that the opportunity to lead healthy and safe lives is within reach for all of us.