Social networking for sick people

Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have spawned all sorts of copycat sites, like online destinations for seniors, babies, pets and the like. But here’s one you may not have heard about: A place for patients of cancer and other serious illnesses to find support and share their journey.

It’s called the Caring Bridge and it is a deeply personal and yet inspirational resource designed for patients and their relatives to keep loved ones informed during difficult times.

In return, family and friends give patients and caregiver support through guestbook messages, responding to the patient’s online website and journal… creating a special community of family and friends to rally around a loved one at the time of a health crisis or accident.

The site has been around for more than a decade and has had more than half a billion visits, most through word of mouth. It’s been a place where wounded soldiers from the Iraq war tell of their journeys back to health, where cancer patients share their battle and where struggles and victories and grief can be shared to bring comfort and love.

There are scores of templates that can be custom designed and the site offers free support so that it can be easily and quickly updated. And there are no ads or popups, either.

From the Website’s media kit, here’s how it was formed:

In 1997, founder Sona Mehring’s close friend developed a life-threatening pregnancy. To keep family
and friends informed about the critical situation, Mehring created a Web site to communicate
information to a wide circle of family and friends without disturbing the mother’s need for rest or
placing additional demands on hospital staff.

Baby Brighid was born almost three months premature. With her mother in critical condition, the one-
pound preemie was quickly rushed to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital in St.
Paul, Minn.

The family posted daily news about mom and Brighid on the Web site. An accompanying online
guestbook enabled visitors to send the family messages of love and encouragement.

Sadly, Brighid’s story does not have a happy ending. After a nine-day struggle against tremendous odds, she died in surgery.

The Web site allowed the family to convey this saddest of news without the painful burden of several
emotional phone calls. The parents also had a place to post a final message to honor Brighid and their
supportive online community. Brighid’s death prompted an outpouring of loving messages to the family.
They immediately understood that other patients dealing with the birth of a premature baby, childhood
cancer or other critical illness would benefit from the same online resources.

A memorial fund, created in Brighid’s memory, enabled Children’s Hospital in St. Paul to dedicate a
computer and Internet access for patients and families wishing to create their own online communities.

And CaringBridge was born.