37-year-old cancer survivor, Mailet Lopez, took matters in her own hand and created a social networking website called  ihadcancer.org to help not only survivors but victims share their experiences with one another. To find out more hit the jump!!
A Facebook-like website for cancer survivors is attracting thousands of members worldwide.
It was started by a Long Island woman who was sick of sites that loaded her with information but offered little social networking .
“Making connections are a lifesaver,” said Mailet Lopez, a 37-year-old breast cancer survivor from Rockville Centre who launched this summer ihadcancer.org.
Already, the site has attracted 4,000 members in 63 countries, and the most popular feature is a “Dear Cancer” section where survivors share their message for the deadly disease.
“You will NOT win this battle. I am stronger than you. I have an army behind me,” reads one message.
Another says, “You put me on death’s door but every time you hit me, I bounce back with a smile and a giggle.”
” ‘Dear Cancer’ is just a way to let everyone get something off their chest. We are holding on to so many emotions and we need to let them out,” said Lopez, who was diagnosed in April 2008.
The site also allows visitors to search by zip code, sex, age, type of cancer and year of diagnosis, offering survivors and supporters an easy tool to find people struggling with similar challenges nearby.
“We wanted to make it easier to find someone who has been there,” Lopez said.
She decided to start the site last year when she wrote a Facebook message marking the three-year anniversary of her diagnosis .
“Not one person said, ‘I know what you’ve been through,’ ” she said, adding that she was reluctant to share too many details of her intimate journey on traditional social networks.
As co-founder of Squeaky Wheel Media, a digital agency in Manhattan, she had the tools to develop ihadcancer.com. She picked the name because it looks to the future instead of dwelling on having the disease .
“It’s the power of sharing information in a safe environment,” said Lopez.
