Are national coalitions possible between support groups for parents of children with cancer and cancer associations?

One meaningful and compassionate response to the stress faced by parents of children with cancer is mutual support groups. Such groups provide social and emotional support for families and advocate for improved medical and psychosocial services for children with cancer throughout the world. Sometimes parents form and conduct these groups in the context of harmonious and supportive relationships with national Cancer Associations, and sometimes these relationships are characterized by conflict and tension. Various factors may hinder or facilitate the formation and operation of cooperative relations and coalitions between these organizations.