Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Cancer & Me 35 Years On - Vol 3 - The Journey Home

Fantasy (batik) by Willo Today in our Community News blog Willo is back with the third instalment of our series called ‘Cancer & me 35 years on’ . In this series, Willo, known on the Community as patsyann85 , tells us about her experience of being diagnosed with Anal cancer in 1986 while living in Zambia. We will be sharing more of Willo’s writing and incredible artwork throughout the next few months in the Community News. If you missed Vol 2 – Best Friends Forever, you can click here to catch up. It was early February – still hot when I flew from Lusaka to winter in Germany, where I had to catch a connecting flight. When we reached Frankfurt the pilot announced it was minus nine degrees, but with the wind-chill factor it was -16°. The passengers gasped when the doors opened and the cold…

Former Member
“One night I was woken up with an odd feeling.” – Alyson’s story

This week in Community news we’re sharing Alyson’s story and experiences with Renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer, from her first diagnosis to today. At the age of 20 years old, I emigrated to South Africa with my then husband Gerard. At the age of 40 years old I was working as a Logistics Manager for Howden Safanco and had been divorced for 2 years. I had by this time two daughters, Kimberley (16 years old) and Katherine (15 years old) and I was holding down a very busy lifestyle. "One night I was woken up with an odd feeling." I started feeling very tired and had a niggly pain in my right kidney, which I thought could be the start of kidney stones or something. I wasn’t one for running to the doctor all the time so I just put up with it. The pain wasn’t excruciating. One night…

Eliza -Online Community Team
'This is a really easy, quick and tasty mid-week supper' - Dining with an Ostomate - Chicken on cheesy leeks

During this time of uncertainty many of us have turned to cooking as a way of keeping us busy and relieving stress. We are pleased therefore, to bring you Debbie’s delicious cheesy leeks recipe today. Debbie is our wonderful ‘chef to Ostomates’ and all of her recipes are, of course, designed with Ostomates in mind. In case you’ve missed any of her recipes to date, you can find them all in our Ileostomy, colostomy and stoma support group here . So why not put an apron on and get cooking! This is a really easy, quick and tasty mid-week supper. I never experienced any problems with eating leeks when I had my ileostomy, but if you are concerned about them being too fibrous make sure you cook them until they are really soft and puree them with a handheld blender. I often don’t add the Ciabatta…

Former Member
Mental Health Awareness Week, kindness and blogging in the Community...

It’s Mental Health Awareness this week in the UK and the theme this year is ‘being kind’. Today we’re exploring different ways of using shared experience in the Community to help protect your mental health, plus as a kindness to other members. "I still take comfort in the many kind words of wisdom given on this forum." Peanut123 , Bereaved spouse forum "Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, your kindness and for sharing your personal experiences. Your words read like sunshine on the page." Kralc , Ovarian cancer group We regularly see the benefit of members sharing their perspective, as it can be not only feel helpful to put your thoughts on paper, but it can be such a kindness to others. Finding someone to talk to, who has been through similar experiences can mean so much…

Steph - Online Community Team
I don't know what to say

Knowing the right thing to say can be really hard, and it’s something that everyone struggles with sometimes. Many times, you might say nothing at all in case you say the ‘wrong thing’, or accidentally hurt someone’s feelings. Sometimes, you might feel hurt because of something someone said, even though they didn’t mean anything unkind. While we can’t stop these things because accidents happen, we can work together to find good ways of communicating here on the Community. Everyone has a memory of a time where knowing someone cared helped. Whether that memory is from the Community or otherwise, we all know the feeling of knowing someone listened, even if they couldn’t solve what was troubling us. Talking and supporting each other is what makes the Online Community tick, and in our humble opinion…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Keeping safe in the sun.

May 6 th -12 th was Sun Awareness week in the UK and as many of us are self-isolating, furloughing or working from home, it’s a good time to remind ourselves to stay safe in the sun. Although it’s unlikely any of us living in the UK will come into contact with foreign climates over the next few months, many will end up spending more time outside. Whether you’re taking the time to relax or work in your garden; taking a walk instead of the gym, if the sun is out, please do stay aware. Staying safe in the sun can reduce your risk of some cancers. It can also be particularly important for people going through some cancer treatments to stay out of the sun. '...when I was on chemo one of the nurses said to stay out of the sun. And then when I had my radiotherapy planning meeting they said of…

Steph - Online Community Team
"Nowhere to turn? How I discovered the Online Community..."

Last month Gina, one of our Online Community Champions, shared with the Community part of her cancer journey, specifically interactions with family, friends and colleagues. The blog was called “Most of us just want normality!”, and if you haven’t already read it, it makes for a really thought provoking read. Gina’s back this week to tell us how she discovered the Online Community when she most needed it, and how it’s helped her to date. Enjoy! I got my diagnosis on the last appointment of Maundy Thursday. I left the consultants office in a daze trying to make an understanding of what had just been said and what it would all mean. Initially, when I got the appointment at that time, I felt relief, it meant I would have 4 days off to digest and process what I had been told. To compose myself…

Former Member
"Most of us just want normality" - Gina's story

This week one of the latest additions to our Community Champions team, Gina (Ginajsy), has kindly put some words together for the Community detailing her experience and interactions with family, friends and work colleagues following her cancer diagnosis. It makes for an interesting and really thought provoking read. When you are diagnosed with cancer, along with all of the angst, confusion and shock one of the biggest questions us cancer patients have to contend with is, are we really open about our diagnosis and tell everybody? Or do we keep it a secret? Both options have their pros and cons and if you opt to tell everyone, you cannot then take it back. Knowing I would have to have chemotherapy, I assumed (incorrectly) I would automatically lose my hair and I would also need several weeks…

Former Member
International Volunteer Day - Julia's story

Today marks International Volunteer Day , and to recognise this Julia, who’s volunteered for Macmillan since 2011, has shared with us a little about her story, and the affect volunteering's had on her life following her cancer diagnosis. A year in the life of… I can’t believe another year has passed so quickly! Volunteering for Macmillan has been in sharp focus this year and yet again, it has been wonderful, scary at times and so very worthwhile. I started volunteering for Macmillan in 2011, as soon as I was able to return to some sort of ‘normal’ after surgery and chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. My inspiration to do this was my Macmillan nurse who introduced me to sitting in front of the camera for a film to promote Macmillan's Coffee Morning and I haven’t looked back since. You can…

Former Member
Mouth Cancer Action Month

November was a rather busy month for awareness days, weeks and months, and whilst it’s a couple of days late, the following blog recognizes Mouth Cancer Action Month. Here’s one of our Ask An Expert dentists, Judith and Lynsey, to share with you some information and tips on coping with mouth cancer. Mouth problems are a common side effect of head and neck cancer and its treatment. Getting support from a dental professional early in the process can really help to minimise discomfort and improve your quality of life. Before treatment – get a specialist assessment: If you’ve been diagnosed with head and neck cancer, you will likely be referred to a specialist clinic for a full dental assessment before treatment starts. This clinic will likely continue seeing you during and after treatment…

Former Member
World Hello Day

Today, November 21 st , is World Hello Day – a day to promote peace, bridge barriers and make a difference to someone’s day through a simple ‘hello’. To recognise the World Hello Day, I thought it’d be a great idea to put a Macmillan spin on the day by sharing a couple of soundbites and pieces of feedback for the Community that illustrate how a simple greeting and the friendliness of one user to another – someone they’ve never met before, can have a huge impact on someones life and really help them with whatever difficulties they might be facing. So sit back, take a pew and enjoy – and if you’ve had any similar experiences on the Community, go ahead and share them in the comments below. “I am so proud of how far we have all come. It was difficult to see the light at the beginning but we…

Former Member
World Vegan Month - Alice's Vegan Pumpkin Spiced smoothie recipe

November is World Vegan Month - a time to celebrate how far veganism's come in recent years, and a time to share vegan tips and recipes with those interested in the movements potential benefits. Our Online Community's resident dietitian, Alice, has taken the time to write about why veganism's grown so rapidly in popularity, its benefits, and she's also shared a rather tasty 'Vegan Pumpkin Spice' smoothie (trust me, I made it myself over the weekend). Enjoy! Veganism is a diet that excludes all animal products including meat, dairy and eggs. It has become an increasingly popular and mainstream lifestyle over the past 10 years. Its growing popularity seems to be due to two main factors: Desire to protect the environment and reduce harmful farming practices. Desire to live a healthier…

Former Member

Awake and up all night?

We know that cancer can sometimes cause sleepless nights. Join our Cancer Chat forum for some company here in the 'Awake and up all night' thread.

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