In Macmillan’s cancer information blog back in November, featuring Men’s Health Awareness, we talked about how important it was to keep the conversation around men’s health and well-being flowing throughout the year. According to research, men often find it particularly difficult to talk about cancer, let alone ask for support. The Online Community provides an anonymous forum where people can come and talk about the physical, financial and emotional effects of cancer with others who understand. We know that talking to family and friends about cancer can be hard, so if you’re worried about how your diagnosis will affect them, or just need someone to talk to, the Community is here 24/7.
Recently, through the guest blog series in Community news, we featured this lovely couple’s experience when husband Shaun was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. Click here to read Janet’s thoughts and link to Shaun’s story in his own words.
“Just wondered if there were any men experiencing breast cancer out there?” – Community member ‘1212’
Breast cancer in men is rare, but that can make it all the more lonely when a diagnosis is received. Member 1212 joined the Community to ask if there was anyone else going through male breast cancer and it wasn’t long before Andy_49 and other members responded to offer their support. Read the full thread in the ‘breast cancer’ group here.
“I don’t want to be wasting my GP’s time if this isn’t something to worry about…” -Jay1985
When member Jay1985 reached out to the Community, with worries around testicular cancer, other members were able to respond with some support and sage advice:
‘I had to reply quickly because I felt I needed to say that just because we as a nation are dealing with Coronavirus, your health and well-being is not a burden on anyone. If you have any doubt get it checked dude. ‘ – EditMan
Read the full thread here.
Whether you’ve been diagnosed yourself, or supporting someone else living with cancer, we want everybody to feel able to talk freely and ask for support if they need it.
Our Prostate cancer group is just one of the groups in the Community where people affected can benefit from talking to others going through a similar experience. Members have recently been discussing their care and treatments, plus supporting a parent through prostate cancer. Click here to visit the group.
To find all the groups, click here to browse or search for a particular cancer type or experience.
We know that caring for a loved one with cancer can be a particularly challenging time and we regularly see the value of carers supporting each other in the Community.
One of our amazing Community Champions, Steve ‘src60’, is often here to welcome members and make sure they’re getting support. When ‘Graham265’ came to the Community to talk about supporting both parents through cancer, Steve was around to offer support. You can find the thread here.
“I was my late wife’s full time carer for 7 1/2 years…’ – Community member ‘panic’
Another member who understands what it’s like to care for a loved one is ‘panic’, who is often around to share experience and offer support, when someone reaches out for support. Read their caring perspective here.
The Community is a safe space of support, which can help lead to honest discussion around issues you might not feel comfortable talking to anyone else about. If you’d also like to speak to one of our Support teams on the phone, our Support Line is open 7 days a week, 8am - 8pm. Call us free* on 0808 808 00 00.
