Our History
The Cancer Support Community, formerly The Wellness Community, was founded in 1982 by Dr. Harold Benjamin in Santa Monica, California. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990, Cindy Dwyer teamed up with her friend Ellen Hamilton, to start a Cancer Support Community in Delaware (The Wellness Community Delaware). Motivated by a mutual friend, Mary Moller, and several other cancer survivors, a facility was opened in Wilmington, Delaware in 1996. Subsequently, facilities were opened in Dover in 2002 and in Rehoboth Beach in 2005.
On July 1, 2009, the Cancer Support Community joined forces with Gilda’s Club Worldwide to become the largest provider of psychosocial cancer support in North America. Our combined organization is comprised worldwide of nearly 50 local affiliates, 12 affiliates in development and over 100 off-site and satellite locations.
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The Cancer Support Community, formerly The Wellness Community, was founded in 1982 by Dr. Harold Benjamin in Santa Monica, California. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990, Cindy Dwyer teamed up with her friend Ellen Hamilton, to start a Cancer Support Community in Delaware (The Wellness Community Delaware). Motivated by a mutual friend, Mary Moller, and several other cancer survivors, a facility was opened in Wilmington, Delaware in 1996. Subsequently, facilities were opened in Dover in 2002 and in Rehoboth Beach in 2005.
On July 1, 2009, the Cancer Support Community joined forces with Gilda’s Club Worldwide to become the largest provider of psychosocial cancer support in North America. Our combined organization is comprised worldwide of nearly 50 local affiliates, 12 affiliates in development and over 100 off-site and satellite locations.