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My best friend has survived 6 years after breast cancer, so this is a health issue that is very close to my heart. Helen received almost as much help and support from the Internet as she did from her team of clinicians, so I know that a good website can be a great help. And TheBreastCancerSite.com is a very good website.

The look of the site is crisp and no-nonsense, without being austere, so the visitor feels they have reached a professional site, which is very important when dealing with a potentially life-threatening subject. There is plenty of pink in evidence, as one would expect, and the pink ribbon logo is reassuring; after all, anyone who suffers from or knows someone with breast cancer wants to be sure they are dealing with an 'official' site.

Navigation of the site is simple, via the pink side buttons which are rather like subject dividers in college files. This simple-but-bright colour scheme hits just the right note - after all, someone who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer is likely to be quite distracted enough, without the added diversion of animations, flashes and garish colours.

So the site designers have hit just the right note with the tone of the site, but what about the information? Well, there's a good mix of practical advice on what to expect during your treatment, as well as personal testimonies from breast cancer patients and relatives and friends, identified here as 'Supporters.' I'm not sure I agree with the 'Supporters' label; it seems to strike a slightly negative note in an otherwise positive site, but perhaps that's just me.

I like the idea of 'Click to Give,' whereby visitors to the site click on adverts, whos sponsors pay royalties which fund free mammograms for women in need. The feeling that you are helping others less fortunate helps to alleviate the helplessness that can be a big part of breast cancer treatment.

And there's an online store; if you're going to splurge on the plastic, you may as well splurge where it can do some good. As well as the usual logo'd stuff to demonstrate your support for breast cancer research, there are some great 'girly' buys - fashionable clothing and pretty jewellery. Psychology is vident here, as being able to buy these items reaffirms the femininity challenged by mastectomy and hair loss through chemotherapy.

The one thing I dislike about this site is the placement of tabs for other sites in the Greater Good Network, such as hunger, animal welfare and rainforest, which are prominently situated at the top of each page. This is a distraction from the main focus of the site, which is breast cancer. It would improve the look of the site if these tabs were located at the foot of the page, where they would not be so noticable.

That said, TheBreastCancerSite.com is an informative, sympathetic and empowering site for breast cancer patients, their families and friends, and people who just want to know more about the disease. Stop by the site and you'll see what I mean.

Learn more about this author, Sandra Piddock.
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