Our Mission

VOBOC’s mission is to equip, engage and empower Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer patients to improve their cancer experiences and health outcomes. 

We do this by addressing the needs of new cancer patients by providing their health care teams with Vo-Pak backpacks to give to their AYAs beginning cancer treatment. Vo-Paks are filled with practical items for a hospital stay and include free tools and resources to help in navigating the cancer journey. VOBOC engages with patients by offering supportive services and acts as a connecting point with health care professionals to help address patient concerns. Addressing patient concerns, breaking isolation, and reducing distress improves patient experience and helps empower patients.

VOBOC shares its 20 year of experience focused exclusively on teens and young adults with cancer by providing leadership in raising public awareness regarding increasing occurrences of cancer within the normally robust AYA population and works with community to help support AYAs.

VOBOC's free services for AYA patients are offered in part through its unique membership as part of the McGill University AYA Oncology Interdisciplinary team within leading cancer treatment centres in Montreal.

About THE VOBOC FOUNDATION

VOBOC’s free services:

1) Vo-Pak program

VOBOC delivers free Vo-Pak backpacks to hospital oncology units. Each Vo-Pak contains practical items for a hospital stay as well as tools and resources to help patients in navigating the health care system and in accessing supportive services.

2) Granting of Last and Special Requests

VOBOC’s Last and Special Requests program works with the medical teams to consider and grant Last and Special Requests to patients who are in crisis, are transitioning to palliative care or are in palliative care.

3) Courage Incentive Program

As treatment begins, the Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) with cancer can face obstacles that set them back and, at times, seem overwhelming. Their treatment may have difficult side effects, they may be unable to continue school or work and they may feel socially isolated. This can cause them distress and they can become an indifferent participant in their treatment plan.

VOBOC’s Courage Incentive Program (CIP) supports the engagement of AYAs during the most intense state of crisis. The program’s goal is to improve patient outcomes by providing health care professionals with a resource to assist their patients identified as distressed and struggling to adhere to their prescribed treatment.

4) Education and Awareness

VOBOC uses its twenty years of experience in the cancer care space to help inform and create awareness regarding the impact cancer has on AYAs. In working with health care professionals (HCPs) and our Youth-to-Youth (Y2Y) Ambassadors, VOBOC is able to Equip, Engage, and Empower the broader community.

VOBOC has initiatives that engage medical teams, corporate partners and local community including schools, organizations and the general public.