Empowering Cancer Patients
With Respected Tools and Resources
Be Your Best Advocate
Empowering patients who have been diagnosed with cancer is what Bag It is all about. In 2003, our Founder, Sherri Romanoski, just a few short years after her own cancer diagnosis, left her career as a kindergarten teacher and committed to becoming an advocate for newly diagnosed cancer patients. After traversing her own journey, she understood the importance of accessible, reliable information and the power of self-advocacy.
Today, Sherri’s organization works to help every cancer patient find your very own voice. To empower you with the right information, right when you need it. To provide resources so you can Fight the Fear. And to help every one of you become the very best member of your own care team.
What does it mean to be a Survivor?
The National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship defines Survivorship as the process of living with, through, and beyond a cancer diagnosis.
You—are a cancer Survivor.
Regardless of whether you were diagnosed today or decades ago, you are a Survivor. Bag It’s focus on Survivorship means our materials and resources go beyond the medical and clinical needs of each patient and address a whole range of topics, such as dealing with emotions, financial challenges, talking to your employer, and more. Whatever type of cancer, whenever your date of diagnosis, you are a survivor, and our Bag It bag, Bag It Resource Center, and the Bag It Community will all provide access to resources to support your physical, practical, and emotional needs.
Knowledge. Fellowship. Courage. Hope. Empowerment.
Day 1
The initial diagnosis. The Bag It Bag is often given to patients by their medical provider. An oncology nurse navigator or another member of the oncology team will walk through the Bag It materials and show you how to utilize the My Companion Guidebook as an invaluable organizational tool, as well as the four resource booklets that come with the bag.
If your medical provider does not provide the Bag It bag, you can also order directly from us.
Day 2 and Beyond
Bag It patients find great value in getting the Bag It materials at the time of diagnosis. But the materials are designed to inform, empower, and help patients THRIVE throughout treatment and beyond.
The Power of Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy means giving yourself the tools and information you need to feel confident about asking questions, communicating your needs, and participating as the strongest member of your care team. As a cancer patient, you engage with dozens of medical providers, who are all working as part of your team. Self-advocacy is about empowering you to be the leader of that care team. Learn quickly about new cancer resources, research and events by joining our mailing list.
Bag It Cancer Resource Center
Information is power–if it’s the right information. Bag It can serve as your first stop when you are searching for reliable, respected, researched and updated information available on a wide array of topics related to cancer.
If you are looking for specialized resources, please view these pages: Bag it Bag Resources, Population Groups, Cancer Types or State Resources. Learn quickly about new cancer resources, research and events by joining our mailing list.
Resources From the Bag It Bag
The following organizations contributed content to the Bag It bag.
Making the Most of Your Bag It Bag
NOTE: As we make regular updates to the Bag some content in this video may look different than the content in the Bag you have.
Let Your Bag It Bag Be Your Guide
Patient Forms
The Bag It Bag content was updated June 2024. You may notice some differences in the bag you received. The information in your bag is still valid and not outdated but feel free to download the updated booklets and forms below.
These forms are included in My Companion Guidebook, along with tabbed sections with helpful tips.
The forms below are in PDF format. Using Acrobat Reader, you can download the individual forms
you need. If you want to complete by hand, download and print each document.
You can also download them as fillable forms to complete them right on your computer by simply
typing information into the displayed fields. You can then print your completed forms and also save
them to your computer to edit and update as needed.
The forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 or higher for viewing.
Download Acrobat Reader DC desktop version. The software is free.
You can also download the free Android or iOS version of the mobile app from Google Play.
Section 1: My Personal Details
Section 2: My Calendars & Logs
Section 3: Additional Forms
Tell Us What You Think
Have you used the Bag it Bag? We would love your feedback.
For your convenience, a form is provided in your My Companion Guidebook, or you can complete an online survey below.
Share Your Bag It Story
Inspire other cancer patients to use the Bag It Bag by sharing your story. There are many ways to do this.