Home › Support
Support
Help with the parts nobody warns you about
Treatment takes over a calendar. Meanwhile the laundry piles up, the rides to appointments have to come from somewhere, and the bills keep arriving. Every organization on this page exists to take one of those things off you. Most of them are free. Asking is not an imposition, it is the whole point of them.
If you need someone to talk to now
Call or text 988. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline answers 24 hours a day, every day of the year. In Idaho this connects to the Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline. You do not have to be in danger to call. Feeling overwhelmed is reason enough.
For a medical emergency, call 911.
Practical help in the Treasure Valley
These are the local ones. They know this area, and several of them exist specifically for women going through cancer treatment here.
-
Boise
Bustin’ Out of Boise
Fills the gap for women going through cancer treatment by providing housecleaning, childcare, food, and transportation to appointments. Reach out and describe what would help most.
-
Boise
Artist in Residence Program, YMCA of the Treasure Valley
Free creative art workshops designed to help cancer survivors and people with neurological conditions heal and recover. No cost, and no artistic ability required.
-
Statewide
Idaho Women’s Health Check
Free breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic testing for women in Idaho who are uninsured and whose household income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. More than 250 providers across the state take part.
Counseling
Talking to someone who works with cancer patients every week is different from talking to a general therapist, and different again from talking to family. These four therapists were listed on the resource sheet Dr. Perkins’ patients receive.
-
Carrie Panzer, LCSW
Oncology experience.
-
Sarah Winther, LCSW
Oncology experience.
-
Merrill Bading, LCSW
Adjustment to illness.
-
Brittany Ogata, LCSW
Oncology experience, art therapeutic modalities.
-
Psychology Today directory
Search by insurance, specialty, and location if none of the above is a fit or has an opening.
Living Beyond Breast Cancer runs virtual support groups organized by situation, including groups for young women, for metastatic disease, and for people who have finished treatment. Meeting people in the same specific position as you is different from general support, and it can be done from your own sofa.
National organizations
-
Susan G. Komen
Breast Care Helpline, care navigation, financial assistance, and a large library of patient information. Monday to Thursday 9am to 7pm Eastern, Friday 9am to 6pm Eastern. Se habla español.
-
American Cancer Society
Transportation to treatment, a 24 hour helpline, peer support, help with hair loss, and lodging programs in some cities.
-
CancerCare
Financial assistance, education workshops, and free professional counseling from oncology social workers.
-
Cleaning for a Reason
Free home cleaning for people undergoing cancer treatment, delivered through partner cleaning companies.
-
Lasagna Love
A volunteer brings you a homemade lasagna. No cost, no questions, no strings. On a week when cooking is beyond you, this is a real thing that helps.
-
Findhelp
Search by ZIP code for free or reduced-cost food, housing, utilities, transportation, and health care near you.
-
Breastcancer.org
Detailed treatment explanations and one of the largest peer discussion communities on the internet.
-
National Breast Cancer Foundation
Patient guides, help accessing free mammograms, and practical wellness tools.
-
Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Not a patient services group. This is where to look if you want to follow what is actually being researched and where the next treatments are coming from.
Wigs, caps, and scarves
Not everyone having breast cancer treatment loses their hair, because it depends on which medicines are used. If yours do cause hair loss, sorting this out before it starts is easier than sorting it out during. Ask your team about scalp cooling too, which can reduce hair loss with some regimens.
Wigs and head coverings in Boise
-
Free
Assistance League of Boise
Provides two free wigs. Call to schedule a fitting.
-
Angels in Your Corner
Wigs for purchase.
-
Kathy’s Wig Boutique
Wigs for purchase.
Wigs and head coverings online
-
Free
Ebeauty
A wig exchange program. Free wigs, donated and passed on.
-
Free
Lolly’s Locks
Free high-quality wigs for cancer patients.
-
Free
Verma Foundation
Free cap wig.
-
Free, under 21
Locks of Love
Hairpieces for young people under 21 experiencing long-term medical hair loss.
-
TLC Direct, from the American Cancer Society
Wigs, headwear, and mastectomy products, chosen and sold by ACS.
-
Headcovers Unlimited
Wigs and head coverings.
-
Godiva’s Secret Wigs
Wigs for purchase.
Calming your mind and body
Cancer is hard on sleep, on mood, and on the nervous system. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment, including thoughts, feelings, and sensations, with openness and curiosity and without judging any of it. Research shows that mindfulness-based approaches can help with cancer-related distress, fatigue, pain, and nausea, and can improve sleep and overall sense of wellbeing.
None of the following costs anything. You do not need to believe in it for it to work on your breathing. St. Luke’s has more on this at Mind-Body Wellness for Cancer Patients.
Breathing
- Soft Belly Breathing, 7 minutes, Center for Mind-Body Medicine. Slow deep breathing into the lower lungs. A good first thing to try.
- Mindful Breathing Meditation, 13 minutes, Memorial Sloan Kettering. For letting distracting thoughts pass.
- Breathing Retraining, 11 minutes, Centre for Clinical Interventions. Slows your breathing and reduces anxiety. With practice you can use it in the moment.
Guided imagery
- Introduction to Guided Imagery, 11 minutes, Center for Mind-Body Medicine, with James Gordon, MD.
- Mountain Meditation, 20 minutes, Palouse Mindfulness. Stability in the face of unpredictable change.
- Lake Meditation, 20 minutes, Palouse Mindfulness. Stillness below a turbulent surface.
Body scan and muscle relaxation
- Body Scan, 30 minutes, Jon Kabat-Zinn.
- Body Scan, 20 minutes, Palouse Mindfulness.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation, 7 minutes, Therapist Aid.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation, 15 minutes, Johns Hopkins Hospital.
For pain
- Managing Pain with Meditation, 32 minutes, Memorial Sloan Kettering. Useful before a procedure you are dreading.
- A Meditation for Pain Relief, 43 minutes, Kaiser Permanente.
Palouse Mindfulness offers a free eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program online, designed for people who cannot attend one in person for financial, practical, or health reasons.
Apps for sleep, breathing, and calm
Mindfulness
- Mindfulness Coach. Self-guided training built by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. iOS and Android, free, no upsell.
- UCLA Mindful. Basic guided meditations in English and Spanish. iOS and Android, free.
- Insight Timer. The largest free library of guided meditations and talks. Free with in-app purchases.
- Calm and Headspace. Guided meditations, soothing sound, sleep stories. Free basics or a subscription.
Breathing
- Breathe2Relax. Teaches diaphragmatic breathing to calm the fight-or-flight response. Free.
- The Breathing App. Simple resonance breathing. Free.
Sleep
- Relax Melodies. Sounds, music, and breathing techniques for falling asleep. Free with in-app purchases.
- CBT-i Coach. For people working on insomnia with a provider, built by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Free.
- Insight Timer, Calm, and Headspace all have sleep sections too.
Most of what is on this page comes from the resource sheet Dr. Perkins’ patients are given, with the Idaho Women’s Health Check program and a few national organizations added. These services are run by other organizations. Dr. Perkins does not control them, cannot guarantee that their information is accurate or current, and listing them is not an endorsement of everything they say or sell. Each website has its own privacy policy. Details change, so call ahead before making a trip.
Last checked 23 August 2026. If you find a broken link or a service that has closed, please tell the office so it can be fixed.