May is Bladder Cancer Awareness month.

American and Australasian companies unite to launch an online bladder cancer patient community – bladdercancer.me – to provide support, tools and information for patients, their families and care-givers.

Bladder cancer is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the US, with over 75,000 new cases diagnosed in the US annually. Bladder cancer is three times more common in men than women, and 1 in 42 people will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in their lifetime.

Melon Health has joined forces with a group of American and Australasian companies, including Pacific Edge Diagnostics USA, to launch a patient community to support people and their families living with bladder cancer. The site is unique in the way it empowers patients to self-manage their journey.

The bladdercancer.me site provides the resources and community often seen on other cancer community sites, but also offers tools for symptom tracking, and reminders.

The rising use of the internet in healthcare is nothing new, with "Dr Google" providing a font of information, says Siobhan Bulfin, CEO of Melon Health.

"But the ability to connect virtually, with other people going through the same thing is something that has come about in recent years as patients and medical researchers started to see how empowering social connections can be.

"Online patient communities are having a significant positive effect on people with cancer; providing a place where patients and their families can find emotional support, social connections and access to trustworthy resources and information.

"The journey from diagnosis through treatment is often a traumatic and overwhelming one. But thanks to the internet, cancer sufferers and their families are now receiving more support than ever, and these days it';s increasingly likely to be from a total stranger living on the other side of the world."

One early user of the site commented, "It's nice to be part of a community with others who are going through the same ups and downs."

This says Siobhan, is exactly the response they are hoping for.

Here is a video introducing BladderCancer.me: