Cancer caregivers — the partners, siblings, adult children, and close friends who show up every single day for someone fighting the worst battle of their life — are burning out quietly across San Francisco. And finding help shouldn't require its own exhausting search.

A recent conversation among SF residents highlighted just how real this gap is. As one local put it, "Being a caregiver is genuinely way heavier than it looks from the outside. You're trying to stay strong while also slowly burning out internally." Another SF resident who'd been through it was blunt: "It's incredibly draining. I've never found anything in real life sadly."

That's a problem. In a city that prides itself on community resources and spends billions on public health infrastructure, the fact that caregivers are turning to strangers online just to find someone who understands their experience says something about where our priorities actually land versus where they should.

Here's what does exist: UCSF offers caregiver support groups, and several local nonprofits run in-language support programs for families across different communities. The American Cancer Society and CancerCare both maintain directories that include Bay Area options. These are good starting points — but they're not exactly well-advertised.

What's encouraging is the grassroots willingness to show up. One SF resident offered to attend a support group alongside a complete stranger, saying, "I haven't gone but it would be nice to go with someone." That's the kind of organic community-building that actually works — no city grant required.

The libertarian in us says this: government doesn't need to solve every problem, and frankly it's often terrible at solving the personal ones. But the infrastructure we do fund should at least make these resources findable. If you're a caregiver reading this, you're not alone — even when it absolutely feels like it. Start with UCSF, reach out to a nonprofit, or simply talk to someone who's been there. The strength you're showing for someone else? You deserve a little of that directed back at you.