A mobile app that reframes asking for help during cancer treatment as a simple, low-guilt exchange. Patients request tasks from their support circle and stay motivated through their own self-care. Live and in active development.
The Idea
When someone is going through cancer treatment, the hardest part of getting help is often just asking for it. People want to support a friend or family member, but "let me know if you need anything" rarely turns into actual help, and patients feel like a burden bringing it up. The Cancer Card reframes the whole exchange: asking becomes a light, structured action instead of an awkward one.
How It Works
A patient (the "card holder") can request help three ways: assign a task directly to someone, post it to an open list anyone in their circle can pick up, or let helpers offer. A simple points system sits underneath it all, patients earn points by taking care of themselves and spend them requesting help, which keeps the tone playful rather than heavy. Everything updates in real time, and it runs as both a web app and a native iOS app from a single codebase.
Where It Stands
Honest status: The Cancer Card is live as an early build and in active development, not a finished, marketed product. The foundation is in place, accounts, the three request modes, the points economy, and real-time updates, and it's being refined based on how it actually feels to use before any wider launch.
What's Next
- A focused usability and polish pass on the core flows
- Revisiting the experience with input from patients and caregivers
- Exploring paths to the app stores and to partnerships with cancer-support nonprofits and hospital patient-experience programs
Technologies Used
Next.js, React, TypeScript, SQLite, Auth.js, Capacitor (native iOS)