After he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2004, Scott Ryan was looking for someone to talk to.

Someone who knew what he was going through. Someone who could tell him what to expect.

But Ryan, who faced surgery to remove the benign tumor, didn't want to join a formal, in-person support group. He was hoping to find one on the Internet — but what he was looking for didn't exist.

So he created his own.

Ryan, a 2001 MSU alumnus, is the founder of Patient-Network.com, an online support network for people dealing with serious illness. The site was inspired by the popular social networking site MySpace.com and went live in August. It now has about 70 members, he said.

A more conventional alternative for current MSU students involves the MSU Student Cancer Support Network, run through Olin Health Center. The group is for students, friends and family members who have dealt with cancer and are looking for a social outlet to learn more and help cope with the experience.

"Cancer can be a very sensitive topic among many people, especially college students," said Annabelle Kong, the group's coordinator and dietetics senior. "I find this group to be a very comforting place for people to open up their emotions, thoughts and experiences."

Members of Patient-Network.com experience a variety of different medical issues, such as breast cancer, brain tumors and lymphoma. They are encouraged to interact with members and offer information on everything from how a patient would feel after surgery to how to combat nausea from treatment.

"It's the same idea as a support group," said Ryan, 30. "It's information that you can't get from a book or from a doctor. It's practical, everyday, real-life information. They don't go on there to find a diagnosis or somebody's medical opinion."

Much of the site's appeal, he said, comes from the support other members give each other. For instance, people post encouraging comments for someone undergoing therapy.

"It seems to be something that people have been waiting for," Ryan said. "I would have been happy if 20 people had gotten on there. If it had helped one person, then that's great."

The MSU network is one of the few support groups on college campuses in the country, and it prides itself on facilitated meetings and social gatherings that are geared toward helping students open up.

"At the Student Cancer Support Network, we provide a safe place for (students) to share those thoughts to other students who truly understand what they are going through," Kong said. "You definitely can see change in the comfort level among the students who come in for the first time."