Peer counsellors turn personal cancer journeys into community lifelines in Russia’s Mari El

Tatyana Sizhuk was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 while raising two young children. Her treatment stretched over nine years, encompassing ten surgeries and fifty‑four rounds of chemotherapy. Throughout that period she relied on a psychologist, her husband’s daily drives to the hospital, and moments of ordinary life such as theatre visits to keep hope alive. When her psychologist suggested she speak with another patient, Tatyana discovered that sharing her lived experience eased the anxiety of strangers facing the same diagnosis. This realization sparked the idea of turning her own journey into a source of peer support for other women in Mari El.

In late 2024 the Russian Red Cross formalised Tatyana’s grassroots activity by creating a regional counselling service. The society supplied vehicles, logistical planning and coordination for mobile outreach that travelled to villages far beyond the capital Yoshkar‑Ola. To broaden access, Tatyana launched an online group chat that quickly became a mutual‑aid platform where women exchanged advice on wigs, breast prostheses and daily household management. She completed formal peer‑counsellor training under psychologists, lawyers and health professionals. By the end of the outreach cycle three certified counsellors were rotating shifts at the regional oncology centre, and two former patients had joined them as newly trained peer counsellors.

The mobile outreach concluded in December 2025, but the Russian Red Cross continues to back the peer network by coordinating referrals and linking families to broader social and medical services. At the oncology centre the three counsellors maintain a presence in hospital corridors, offering a listening ear for practical questions that busy clinicians may not have time to address. Their shared experience has already inspired two mentees to become certified peer counsellors, expanding the circle of support. Patients report that hearing “I’ve been there, and I’m here now” restores a sense of agency during appointments and treatment, reinforcing the value of psychosocial care alongside medical therapy.