Life with Cancer

What Life with Cancer does

Life with Cancer is a Northern Virginia-based nonprofit organization and the integrative therapies and wellness program of the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, operating five in-person locations across the Inova Health System (Fairfax, Alexandria, Fair Oaks, Loudoun, and Inova Schar Cancer/Fairfax) alongside online and virtual programming. Founded in 1988, with its flagship Peterson Life with Cancer Family Center (a 16,000-square-foot standalone facility in Fairfax, VA) dedicated in April 2009, the organization delivers nearly 50 free programs each month covering counseling, support groups, oncology nurse navigation, educational workshops, fitness and mind-body classes, oncology nutrition guidance, integrative therapies (acupuncture and massage), pediatric and young adult programs, and short-term psychiatry — serving cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, children/teens, and bereaved families across all cancer types and stages regardless of treatment location.

The technology layer is conventional digital-delivery infrastructure rather than a proprietary platform: a WordPress-based website (lifewithcancer.org), a separate online class registration system (events.lifewithcancer.org), telehealth/virtual session capabilities, Vimeo-hosted on-demand video and audio content, and integrations with social channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Inspire). All clinical content is delivered directly by in-house staff — Certified Oncology Nurses, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, oncology dietitians, oncology-certified fitness specialists, and an oncology psychiatrist — supplemented by partnerships such as Healwell (free massage for Inova patients) and Create Calm (bilingual on-demand yoga and mindfulness).

The business model is philanthropy-funded rather than fee-for-service. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit under the Inova Health System umbrella, with fundraising processed through the Inova Health Foundation and revenue sourced from individual donations, memorial/honor gifts, peer-to-peer fundraising, gift-in-kind contributions, and large transformational gifts — most notably a $20 million Peterson Family gift in April 2024 with $15 million designated to Life with Cancer. The vast majority of services are free to any individual affected by cancer regardless of where they receive treatment or where they live; the only revenue-bearing services are massage therapy at $75 per session for non-Inova patients, and psychiatry services. Customer segmentation is vertical (by cancer type and life-stage cohort) and distribution is hybrid — direct in-person across five embedded hospital locations, plus digital self-serve globally through the website and Vimeo.

Name

Life with Cancer

Legal name

Life with Cancer

Website

https://lifewithcancer.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Life with Cancer is a Northern Virginia nonprofit and the integrative wellness program of the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, delivering nearly 50 free monthly programs — counseling, support groups, fitness, nutrition, acupuncture, massage, and nurse navigation — to cancer patients, caregivers, children, teens, and bereaved families across five hospital-embedded locations and online channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Individual and Family Services (6241), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAFAAAM

Hospital-Integrated Cancer Centers (Acute Oncology Programs)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Acute Care Hospitals & Health Systems

SECONDARYHLADALAL

End-of-Life Planning & Hospice/Palliative Care Coordination

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Elder Care & Long-Term Care/Senior Care Coordination & Case Management (Geriatric Care Management)

Keywords

• Cancer support services
• Psychosocial oncology programs
• Oncology nurse navigation
• Integrative cancer therapy
• Cancer counseling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Falls Church

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: Life with Cancer is funded primarily through charitable donations and grants, facilitated through the Inova Health Foundation. Major gifts include a $20 million donation from the Peterson Family in April 2024, with $15 million designated specifically for Life with Cancer. Individual donations, memorial/honor gifts, peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, and gift-in-kind donations support ongoing operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Life with Cancer is a nonprofit cancer support organization that delivers free psychosocial, educational, and wellness programs to individuals and families affected by cancer. Its core offering includes counseling, support groups, oncology nurse navigation, integrative therapies (acupuncture, massage), fitness and mind-body classes, oncology nutrition, psychiatry, and pediatric/young adult/grief support — delivered in-person at five Northern Virginia locations embedded in the Inova Health System and via online/virtual channels.

Product overview

Life with Cancer is a nonprofit cancer support organization offering a comprehensive suite of free programs and services for anyone impacted by cancer. The core offering centers on the Peterson Life with Cancer Family Center (a 16,000 sq ft standalone facility) and Life with Cancer Connect (direct support line). Services are organized into several integrated program areas: the Integrative Psycho-Oncology Program (IPOP) provides holistic psychological support; Oncology Nurse Navigation offers disease and treatment guidance; Counseling and Education delivers individual/family therapy and educational classes; Support Groups serve various populations including cancer-type specific, caregivers, LGBTQIA+, and young adults; Fitness & Mind-Body Classes provide exercise and relaxation programs; Pediatric Programs support children and teens; Nutrition Classes offer dietary guidance; and Meditation/Audio Resources provide on-demand relaxation recordings. Additional clinical services include Acupuncture (free for Inova patients), Massage Therapy (free for Inova patients via Healwell partnership), and Psychiatry Services for short-term psychiatric management. All services except massage, acupuncture, and psychiatry are provided free of charge, regardless of where patients receive treatment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Peterson Life with Cancer Family Center 16,000-square-foot standalone resource center in Fairfax, VA housing a cancer information center, counseling rooms, art therapy studios, exercise room, teen lounge, reflection garden, and dine-in kitchen for cooking demonstrations; the main physical hub of Life with Cancer programming.
• Life with Cancer Connect Direct support line (703-206-5433) and email channel ([email protected]) connecting patients and families to Life with Cancer staff for guidance on programs and services.
• Integrative Psycho-Oncology Program (IPOP) Comprehensive program combining psychological support and integrative therapies to address the emotional and holistic needs of cancer patients and their families.
• Oncology Nurse Navigation Certified oncology nurses help individuals learn about their disease, treatment plans, side effects, procedures, and clinical trials, providing guidance throughout the cancer journey.
• Acupuncture Services Six free acupuncture sessions for patients in treatment with Inova to aid in relieving side effects associated with cancer treatments; available at all Life with Cancer locations.
• Massage Therapy Up to three free table massage sessions for patients in treatment at Inova through a partnership with Healwell; reduced-cost massages at $75 per session for other patients and caregivers.
• Counseling and Education Individual, family, and couples counseling provided by Licensed Clinical Social Workers, alongside educational programs about cancer and coping strategies.
• Support Groups Cancer-type/disease-specific groups, caregiver groups, LGBTQIA+ groups, sexual health groups, survivors groups, young adults & teens groups, and breast cancer groups.
• Fitness & Mind-Body Classes Online and in-person fitness classes including cardio drumming, bone density workouts, lymphatic flow, total body conditioning, Qigong, Yin Yoga, Chair Yoga, and Tai Chi designed for cancer patients.
• Pediatric Programs (Children, Teens & Parents) Specialized support for children and teens affected by cancer, including programs for children/teens with cancer and for those with loved ones who have cancer, plus grief support.
• Young Adults and Cancer Program Resources and support specifically designed for young adults navigating cancer, including support groups and resources tailored to this age group.
• Oncology Nutrition Classes Nutrition education and guidance provided by oncology dietitians covering topics such as sugar and cancer, supplements, healthy weight management, and plant-based eating.
• Meditation and Audio Resources Free on-demand audio recordings including lovingkindness meditation, walking meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, body scan, autogenic relaxation, guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, and various breathing meditations.
• Video Resources On-demand video content including fitness classes, educational series on sexual health, nutrition workshops, and speaking to children about a cancer diagnosis, hosted on Vimeo.
• Psychiatry Services Oncology psychiatry consultation and short-term psychiatric management for cancer patients in active treatment or early survivorship, with Dr. Sermsak Lolak as the oncology psychiatrist.
• Create Calm - Yoga and Mindfulness Resources On-demand mindful-based movement and yoga classes in both English and Spanish, delivered in partnership with Create Calm (createcalm.org).
• Stress Reduction Classes Classes and groups focused on stress reduction techniques including mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation practices available online and in-person.
• Breast Cancer Programs Specialized breast cancer support including surgery pre-operation classes, nutrition classes, stage 0-3/non-metastatic support groups, advanced/metastatic support groups, young adult support groups, and Triple Negative Breast Cancer Support Group.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 50 programs offered each month across five locations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• HealwellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealwell partners with Life with Cancer to provide free table massage sessions (up to three) for patients in active treatment at Inova. This partnership extends Life with Cancer's integrative therapy offerings at no cost to Inova patients, demonstrating a core strategic collaboration for delivering complementary cancer care.
• Inova Health System / Inova Schar Cancer InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLife with Cancer is the integrative therapies and wellness program of Inova Schar Cancer Institute, embedded within the Inova Health System. This parent-partner relationship provides Life with Cancer with hospital-based distribution, referrals from oncology care teams, administrative infrastructure (through Inova Health Foundation for fundraising), and integration with comprehensive cancer care delivery.
• Create Calm (createcalm.org)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreate Calm hosts on-demand mindful-based movement and yoga classes from Life with Cancer in both English and Spanish, extending Life with Cancer's digital programming reach through an established mindfulness platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: Largest US cancer-focused nonprofit offering patient navigation, Hope Lodge lodging, support programs, and educational resources. Overlaps with Life with Cancer's counseling/education/patient-support mission but operates nationally with a much broader program portfolio and revenue base.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Counseling Services: Integrative medicine and psychosocial oncology program within the nation's leading cancer hospital. Operates a comparable mix of counseling, support groups, and wellness programming embedded in a comprehensive cancer center, though as part of a much larger academic medical institution.
• MD Anderson Cancer Center Support Services: Comprehensive cancer center offering integrated psychosocial oncology, integrative medicine, and patient support programs. Comparable embedded-distribution model and service breadth, but scaled nationally and globally as part of one of the largest cancer centers in the world.
• Livestrong: Large-scale national nonprofit historically focused on cancer survivorship support, navigation, and patient resources. Comparable mission (psychosocial/educational cancer support), but with substantially broader national scope and historically larger fundraising footprint than Life with Cancer.

Emerging players

• Stupid Cancer: National nonprofit focused specifically on the adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer population — a segment Life with Cancer also serves via its Young Adults and Cancer Program. Overlap is partial (niche segment) but represents a direct competitor for AYA-focused support and community engagement.
• CaringBridge: Nonprofit providing free personal websites and online support communities for people facing health challenges including cancer. Comparable community-led GTM and free-to-patient model, though focused on digital communication tools rather than in-person clinical services.

Regional players

• Healwell: Nonprofit specializing in massage and integrative therapies for patients with serious illness, including active oncology partnerships. Directly comparable to Life with Cancer's massage services — and is in fact Life with Cancer's own massage delivery partner for Inova patients.

Direct peers

• Smith Center for Healing and the Arts: Washington DC-based nonprofit offering integrative cancer support including counseling, support groups, nutrition, movement, and expressive arts. Direct service-mix overlap and explicit talent lineage — Life with Cancer ED Jennifer Bires was previously Smith Center's Executive Director.
• Cancer Support Community: National nonprofit operating a network of 175+ locations delivering psychosocial support, counseling, support groups, and educational programs for cancer patients and families — directly comparable service mix (free counseling, groups, education, wellness) with a comparable hospital/partner-affiliate distribution model, though at national vs. regional scale.
• Gilda's Club: Network of clubhouses providing free psychosocial support, counseling, educational workshops, and social activities for people impacted by cancer. Now affiliated with Cancer Support Community, but historically operated as a peer nonprofit with the same free-counseling/support-group service model as Life with Cancer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LifewithCancer
• YouTubeyoutube.com/LifewithCancer
• Facebookfacebook.com/lifewithcancer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/life-with-cancer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Life with Cancer