Frequently Asked Questions

Survivorship A to Z is a unique source of practical, legal and financial information needed by people living after a life changing diagnosis such as cancer or HIV/AIDS. Information is tailored to a particular individual’s health condition, finances and other circumstances by means of an Individual Action Plan. To learn more, click here.

Survivorship A to Z was founded by David S. Landay, Esq. To learn more, click here.

You can locate information through each of the following:

• Category: Insurance, Managing Your Care, etc. You can locate categories on the left hand side of each page.
• Topic: An overview of a more specific nature than a Category. For example, Doctors 101 is a Topic. You can locate topics via the pull-down box in the upper right hand corner of each page
• Articles: The source of specific information. Categories and Topics include references to applicable articles. Articles can also be accessed through the Search and Index of Content functions which are described next.
• Search: You can find information by typing in a key word or words in the search mechanism which is located in the left hand side of each page, in a box labeled "Search."
• Index of Content lists content of the site either by Category or by Topic, at your choice. Entrance is by clicking on the words "Index of Content" on the left side of each page.
• Individual Action Plan lists information for your particular health condition and circumstances. You can obtain a plan by clicking on the Icon on the right side of the Home Page and the left side of every other page.

There are several places where you can find help:

• This list of Frequently Asked Questions
• Community Message Boards, where you can find help and information from members of the Survivorship A to Z online community.
• The Contact Form available by clicking on the word "Contact" at the bottom of each page. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot provide answers to individual practical, financial or legal questions individually. Such questions should be posted on the Community Message Boards.

As a general matter, we have information about the following categories: Day To Day Living, Employment Issues, Finances, Government Benefits, Insurance, Managing Your Care, and Planning Ahead (including Estate Planning). Emotional issues are included respect to the appropriate category.

To learn more about finding information, see How can I find what I'm looking for?

A newsletter is in the works. Because we respect your privacy, the only way you can receive a newsletter is by signing up for a Survivorship A to Z member account and subscribing from your Individual Home Page. To sign up for an account, click here.

If you already have a member account, login and visit your account management page by clicking on "Change Email" or "Change Password" at the top of your Individual Home Page. On your account management page, click the "Subscriptions" tab (if you're already logged in, you can go directly to the Subscriptions tab by clicking here). Follow the instructions on that page to subscribe to our newsletter.

All information on the site is presented to permit you to find the information you need while avoiding unnecessary information. Information is provided in a general format. You are then given the tools to go deeper and deeper, down to form letters or what to say or not say in certain circumstances or interactive charts.

So, information is first presented in Categories – broad strokes to give you an overview of a particular area. For instance, Planning Ahead is a category.

Topics are the next level down. Topics are more specific, but still general. For instance, Living Wills is a topic under the category, Planning Ahead.

Articles are more specific still. For instance, Enforcing A Living Will And Other Advance Directives describes how to make sure the wishes you express in a Living Will are actually carried out.

Sections are even more specific. For example, one of the ways to help assure that the wishes expressed in your Living Will are carried out is to Have A Discussion With Your Family Members.

At the bottom of each page on the site, is a box which says:

To make a suggestion or share information, click here.

If you are ready to make a suggestion, click here.

• The subject you would like to write an article about.
• A summary of your expertise with respect to the subject or experience in researching and writing articles.
• A brief summary of your resume.

While we do our best to only provide accurate, up-to-date information, we're also human. If you spot information which is inaccurate or incorrect, please let us know. Please mention the Category/Topic/Article as well as the section in which you found the incorrect information.

At the bottom of each page on the site, is a box which says:

To make a suggestion or share information, click here.

If you are ready to make a suggestion, click here.

At the top of each page which contains information, you'll find an icon which looks like the outline of an envelope in the top right hand corner and which says "Email Page." Clicking on the icon will take you to the page which asks for your friend's email address (as well as your own so he or she knows who sent the information).

Charts are our way of helping you:

• bring order to your life
• maximize your health care
• minimize your expense
• figure out current and projected financial scenarios
• make decisions from a reasoned point of view

To view the complete list of charts at Survivorship A to Z, click here. You can also view a list of charts, including which ones you've completed, by logging in and visiting the chart section of your Individual Home Page.

Charts are available:

• On our list of charts
• Through the articles they relate to
• On your Individual Home Page

All charts have instructions at the top of the page. When instructions are long, as in the case of the Symptoms Diary, you'll see the first few lines of instructions followed by a link that says, Tell Me More. Click on Tell Me More to read the complete instructions.

If you still need more information on how to use the chart, click on the Related Article link at the top of the page.

We make every effort to ensure our tools and resources work with all major web browsers and operating systems. In order to take full advantage of what Survivorship A to Z has to offer, you'll need the following:

• A modern web browser, including (but not limited to) Internet Explorer 6/7, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, or similar
• Javascript enabled
• A minimum screen resolution of 800 x 600 (you can use the site with a lower screen resolution, but a higher one is recommended)

Because it's the only way we can provide information specifically for you. It's also the only way you can store information, whether it is information on our site that you want to keep in one place, or information you provide.

Note that while we constantly update our systems to protect your confidentiality, you do not have to give us a correct name when you register. If you are uncomfortable using your regular email address, consider creating a new email address with a free email provider like GMail or Yahoo!

Everyone who registers gets his or her own Individual Home Page. The Individual Home Page is where everything personal to you, including information you want to keep track of, is stored.

An Individual Home Page includes the following:

• Your Individual Action Plan (including a copy of your Questionnaire and Profile so you can easily make changes as your situation changes. Of course, your Plan automatically changes when your answers change.)
• A list of all our charts - with a "check" mark to indicate those charts you've completed, or at least done some work on.
• Your Health Plan Evaluator which helps decide which of several health insurance plans is best for you as a person with your health condition - if you're lucky enough to have a choice.
• A place to store articles that are of particular interest to you.
• A place where notes you make that are similar to notes in the margin of a book are kept.

With your Individual Home Page, you can:

• Keep track of topics or articles you want to be able to recall easily.
• Make notes that you can refer to 24/7 and be able to access from any computer, anywhere.
• Keep track of questions you want to ask doctors.
• Keep track of your symptoms between doctor visits and/or over a longer period of time.
• Access all our charts - and keep track of the ones you've worked on.
• Access your Individual Action Plan whenever you want - for information or to make changes and see what we what we have to say to help you with those changes.

To cancel your account, click here to visit your account management page.

You can also find this page by logging in and visiting your Individual Home Page. At the top of your Individual Home Page, you'll see information regarding your email address and password, click either "change e-mail" or "change password" to be taken to your account management page. From there, click the tab labeled "Other Settings." At the bottom of that page, click the link labeled "cancel account" and follow the instructions.

Our Member Boards provide a place to talk about your condition and to learn from other peoples' experiences.
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From our Member Boards which are divided by general subject. Note that there are even boards for people who own a business and people who are self employed.

For information about our current volunteer needs and how to access us, please click here.

You can make a donation by clicking here or by clicking on "Give" at the bottom of any page.

Your kindness is appreciated.

You can help support our work in a variety of ways. For example:

• If you know people in the media (television, radio, internet or print) please tell them about the information on our site and how helpful it can be. While a picture is worth a thousand words, an article is worth many e mails to friends and acquaintances to let them know about the site. Knowledge is power, but not if people don't know it's there.
• Let your friends and acquaintances know about our site. Everyone is likely to need the information at sometime in their lives - whether for themselves or for someone they care about.
• Participate in our community message boards.
• Volunteer.
• Donate whatever you can - as often as you can.

Survivorship A to Z is committed to protecting your information. We use the latest available technology to protect our users. Your sensitive data is stored using robust, industry-standard encryption. Survivorship A to Z also uses secure pages for login, registration and charts that ask for sensitive information.

To learn more, see our Privacy Policy.

Any information you store on this website is used by this website, and nowhere else. We do not sell, share, or exchange user information. The tools at Survivorship A to Z are for you, and the information you store here is yours alone.

To learn more, see our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

You are as anonymous as you wish to be. When you register for a member account, you're asked for an email address to use for logging in, and for various services such as password recovery and article update notifications. If you're uncomfortable using your regular email address, consider signing up for a free email account at a web-based service such as GMail or Yahoo! - this will provide you with an additional level of anonymity.

If you participate in our community message boards (which we encourage you to do), a first name only plus a string of non-identifiable digits.

To learn more, see our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.