About AnCan
About Us
Our Mission
AnCan is about people helping people, peer-to-peer ….. we are people living with various conditions and situations who help others faced with similar issues. We do this collectively and individually by providing answers, support and navigation to empower people living with serious and chronic conditions to address their worlds.
Our Vision
AnCan’s vision is to provide easily accessible, inclusive virtual peer support for every serious disease and condition allowing widespread participation, especially to those geographically, physically or socially disadvantaged.
Collaboration with other non-profits underpins our strategy.
Our History
Who is Answer Cancer Foundation d/b/a AnCan?
Answer Cancer Foundation was established and incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation in March 2016. It arose out of the efforts of its founders who were active with The Reluctant Brotherhood, Medafit, and peer-to-peer advocacy and navigation for several years.
- The Reluctant Brotherhood was established in 2009
- MedaFit was established in 2010
- We have been providing peer-to-peer assistance since 2008
As a non-profit we are able to utilize the donations we receive to further expand our services and we can also more readily pursue grants that will improve our mission.
In 2018, we re-branded as AnCan reflecting our vision to extend our reach beyond cancer alone.
We currently offer 20 + virtual groups each month; that number is increasing all the time.
For more on the history of how the founders of AnCan innovated virtual support groups, you can read AnCan Virtually Arrives.
Our Founders
Around 2008, both John Teisberg and Rick Davis recognized the opportunity to provide information and support through virtual support groups.
Rick Davis is a serial social entrepreneur with a background in finance and real estate. He was diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer in 2007; it was readily apparent there was inadequate support for men placed on medium and long term hormone therapy, and Rick started to remedy that. He also participated in prostate cancer support groups and recognized not only their value, but also that availability was geographically, physically and socially constrained. Virtual support groups appeared to resolve many of those constraints.
John Teisberg, an industrial graphic designer by trade, had a lengthy background in attending and running men’s groups. After his own prostate cancer diagnosis in 2008 he recognized the opportunity to provide emotional support to other men going through this experience. In 2009, John founded The Reluctant Brotherhood, a title borrowed from Dr. Patrick Walsh’s “Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer” offering support over the phone lines.
In 2018, John elected to leave AnCan to concentrate on his own mission, The Reluctant Brotherhood.
Rob Barniskis was a participant in The Reluctant Brotherhood from the outset, having been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2008 at the young age of 45. He soon retired from his CFO position to focus on his own survivorship, losing the struggle in 2018.
In 2016, when we decided to formalize a 501c3 non-profit corporation, it was Rob who handled all the administration and set up. Always highly dedicated and working in the background, as in his everyday life, Rob provided the grease and glue to keep AnCan ticking over. We never found out quite how much Rob contributed until we lost him in August, 2018 …. his memory will forever be a blessing!
More on Founder, Rick Davis
Rick Davis has a long history with UsTOO, the prostate cancer education and support non-profit, dating back to 2007. In 2014 he was honored by UsTOO for his support efforts on UsTOO’s written Inspire Forum. Subsequently UsTOO endorsed AnCan’s prostate cancer groups as their virtual support group arm.
At the same time, Rick was also working on integrating exercise in treatment protocols. When diagnosed Rick had found little support for exercise at either of his treating institutions, Kaiser Permanente or UCSF. While exercise was recognized as significant for certain cancers back in 2007, that view was not ubiquitous and the research paled compared to what is available and known today.
Rick, a lifelong endurance athlete, was intimidated facing more than 2 years of depleted testosterone on hormone therapy. He also realized that if he was struggling as an ‘addicted’ exerciser, what about those diagnosed who had never exercised before. Working with his treating doctors at UCSF, they initiated a highly successful exercise support system. MedaFit is the effort to extend that program.
Meet The AnCan Team
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADVISORY BOARD
As a peer-to-peer organization we are not required to comply with HIPAA; nor can we provide medical advice but do offer our own experiences.
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