Jonny Imerman is the founder of Imerman Angels. Fighting cancer for 2 years, at the age of 26 years old, he had loving support from family and friends, but never met anyone his age who was a cancer survivor. He wanted to talk to someone just like him, someone who truly understood and remembered - someone who had already beaten the same type of cancer.

Today, Imerman Angels provides that gift for cancer fighters. Imerman Angels introduces and connects each cancer fighter to one survivor who is the same age, same gender, and someone who has already beaten that particular type of cancer. A cancer survivor would be an angel - walking, talking, living proof to inspire the fighter that he/she can beat cancer. The relationship provides a fighter the opportunity to ask personal questions and receive encouragement from someone who is uniquely familiar with the situation.  The relationship provides a survivor the opportunity to personally help a fighter as he or she battles the disease.

The nature of the 1-on-1 relationship is up to each fighter-survivor pair.  Perhaps the survivor will go to the fighter’s first chemotherapy treatment, or maybe the pair will simply speak on the phone from time to time.  In other words, the fighter and survivor determine the depth of their own relationship.
 
In addition, Imerman Angels also connects “caregivers.”  A caregiver is a friend or family member who is supporting a cancer fighter.  Like fighters and survivors, they wish to be paired up with another caregiver who relates to and understands their situation.  For instance, we have introduced the mother of a three-year-old cancer fighter to the mother of a four-year-old cancer survivor.
  
"Although Imerman Angels is based in Chicago, we help cancer fighters and survivors across the United States and the world.  While sometimes a cancer fighter and survivor live in the same city, we have connected people from different cities, even different countries.  We have found that the 1-on-1 relationships are not limited by geography.  For example, we paired up a cancer survivor in northern California with a cancer fighter in Guatemala."
 
Whether you are a cancer fighter, survivor, or caregiver, our service is 100% free.  Imerman Angels does not turn anyone away.

 

Imerman Angels, founded in 2003,  is a federally registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.  All donations are tax deductible.