Community News - Macmillan Online Community

March: Brain Tumour Awareness Month

It's Brain Tumour Awareness month in March, so in this Community News Blog, we'll be highlighting related content in the Community and signposting to useful resources. We know it can be hard to know where to turn when you or a loved one has been diagnosed, so we hope you'll find some useful pointers in this blog. According to our information and support pages, there are many different types of brain tumour. They are often named after the cell they develop from or the part of the brain they start in. You can read more about the different kinds of brain tumours on Macmillan's information and support pages here. In the Community, we have several groups where you can find support if you or a loved one are diagnosed with a brain tumour. Our primary brain cancer group is for anyone affected by…

Steph - Online Community Team
Cancer & me 35 years on - International Women's day

Today marks international women’s day, a day where we celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It is also a day to highlight women’s issues and rally for gender equality. Here at Macmillan we are dedicated to supporting anyone who has been affected by cancer and champion for better cancer support for all. Hearing and listening to the experiences of everyone is vital in doing this. In honour of International Women’s day, we are pleased to bring you a special edition of Willo’s blog series ‘Cancer & me 35 years on’. Willo, an artist who was diagnosed with Anal cancer in 1986 while living in Zambia, has been sharing her experience of life post diagnosis in her blog series with us. After reading today’s blog, in which Willo talks about finding confidence…

Former Member
A day in the life of an LGBTQ+ Network Lead

Previously in our “A day in the life” series, we’ve featured members of staff you could talk to on Macmillan’s webchat and Support Line. This time, as part of LGBT+ History month, we’re taking you behind the scenes. Anna, alongside her full-time role at Macmillan, volunteers as Network Lead for the LGBTQ+* Network. * LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/trans+, queer/questioning, and other marginalised identities. If you’d like to learn more about what being LGBTQ+ means, please take a look at our previous blog . What is the LGBTQ+ Network at Macmillan, and why is it important? The network is a safe space for LGBTQ+ staff working at Macmillan. It provides collective support and connection, aiming to improve members’ experience of working here. We have vastly ranging backgrounds…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Cancer & me 35 years on - Hong Kong and Back to reality

Photo of the ruins of St. Paul's in Macau, China taken by Willo. We are back today with the next instalment of Willo’s blog series ‘Cancer & me 35 years on’. Willo is a member of our Community who was diagnosed with Anal cancer in 1986 while living in Zambia and has been sharing her experience of living through and beyond cancer, as well as her amazing artwork and photographs, in her blog series with us since last summer. So far Willo has covered her experience of moving back to England for treatment, her Abdominoperineal Resection , going back to art school post-surgery and the amazing friends and family that helped her through. In today’s blog we are back with Willo today to hear about her experience of traveling to Hong Kong in 1990 during a difficult time for her health. “After the…

Former Member
Being bodies - breast cancer and wearing a breast prosthesis

Sapphie, also known on the Online Community as , was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 32. Sapphie talks us through their experience trying several different types of prosthetics following their breast cancer surgery in the 1990s, and how humour has helped them and their family over the years. I was diagnosed when I was 32 years old, after finding a lump and being told by a consultant I was too young to have breast cancer and was sent on my way. A few months later we moved to a new area. My new doctor referred me to a consultant took the lump seriously, and I was diagnosed with primary breast cancer. I had a radical mastectomy on the right and given options of further reconstruction in the future (this was normal in the 90s). I had a concave chest on the left, which caused a lot of laughter…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Skin cancer and Melanoma signs and symptoms check

You may have seen Steph’s recent blog about Sun awareness month and the practical tips to help keep yourself safe in the sun and ways to adapt to sun exposure. After reading this, you may have thought that you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself, but you’re concerned and worried about a new dark spot or mole lesions on your skin. As it’s Melanoma month, we want to share information about what you can do to check for signs and symptoms of Skin cancer and Melanoma. Skin cancer and melanoma- how do I check for signs and symptoms? About half of all melanomas start with a new, abnormal-looking mole in normal-looking skin. This usually looks like a dark area or a new mole that changes over weeks or months. Other symptoms of melanoma develop from a mole that you already have. It’s…

Megan- Online Community Team
Self-management for your own health and healthcare

Managing your own care can be necessary when dealing with a long-term health condition or illness, such as some cancers. It can be overwhelming to think about at first, especially when you might have been recently diagnosed. Learning more about self-management for your own health can help you at any stage of your experience with cancer. This can mean understanding your condition and what you might need, decision making, and knowing where to get help when you need it. We’ve created some quick links to help you to get to what you’re looking for: Understanding your diagnosis and side effects Managing treatment – appointments and medication Managing lifestyle changes – diet, work, finances Understanding your diagnosis and side effects Understanding your diagnosis and treatment…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Bereavement in the media - coping with grief

Today we are back with the third instalment of our series on coping with bereavement. This series aims to start conversations about grief and loss and provide reassurance that there is support out there if you have lost a loved one to cancer. Today we wanted to spend some time thinking about bereavement and the media and the effect it can have on those who are grieving. Whether you are watching your favourite television program, listening to the news on the radio, or scrolling through social media, today we are going to explore how the topic of death can sometimes feel like a trigger for those who are grieving, and how to navigate your relationship with the world on your screen or over the radio. We are also welcoming back our Community Champion DaveyBo today who helps support members in…

Former Member
Deaf Awareness Week 2021

This week (3 rd -9 th May) marks Deaf Awareness Week 2021, a week where we raise awareness of deafness and the Deaf community as well as the support available for deaf/Deaf people. You may wonder why I have written the word deaf with a lower-case d, as well as with an upper- case D. This is because we want to reach out to anyone affected by hearing loss, whether they are part of the Deaf community and identify as a Deaf person (Deaf), or not (deaf). The word deaf can be used to describe someone who is severely hard of hearing. With a capital D however, it is a term that is used to describe someone who is part of the Deaf community and culturally Deaf. What is the Deaf community? The Deaf community is a community of people who identify as Deaf and who share their culture and sense of identity…

Former Member
May is sun awareness month - let's talk about the sun, sunburn and skin cancer

We often refer to the sun when talking about happy times. Saying that sunny days make us feel good or telling someone you hope the sun shines for them. Comments about enjoying the sun might not always be appropriate, especially for people affected by skin cancer. We should be mindful of this when we're talking to others. We should also remember that sun awareness is a really important issue for us all. Sun exposure can put you at risk of sunburn, or skin damage. Ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun is the main cause of most skin cancers. UV light damages the DNA (genetic material) in our skin cells and can cause skin cancer. In this Community News blog, we'll feature conversations from our skin cancer and melanoma forums. You'd be very welcome to join in if you have your own tips or questions…

Steph - Online Community Team
Hair Loss - Information and Guidance

Image: Landscape of Yorkshire moors with dark clouds sitting over a valley on a spring day. On the Community team we often ask for your input or feedback, we want to make sure we’re listening to our members. In a recent newsletter we asked for you to get in touch with the topics you would like to see us write about. In today’s Community News Blog, we’re talking about a topic you asked for - hair loss. We know from many of our members’ comments that hair loss can be difficult to deal with, both physically and emotionally. "The hair loss was something I was absolutely dreading and absolutely heartbroken about." , Breast cancer forum "Main one for me is hairloss Hair loss was awful but I've learned to accept myself with short hair now. Take each day at a time." , Breast cancer forum …

Tom C - Online Community team
Community guidelines update – sharing medical pictures

Please note that this blog is no longer up-to-date. To see the most recent review of the Community guidelines, please see our more recent blog here . We have some important information to share here on the Online Community. We have decided to trial updating part of the Community guidelines around medical images. Our Community guidelines are what everyone agrees to when they join the Online Community. They’re in place to ensure that everyone is safe while using the site. Previously, our guidelines asked that members not to upload any photos of body parts or medical documents, as this often leads other members to try and diagnose, or offer medical advice. We’ve seen from feedback and conversations on the site, that seeing images of people’s medical journeys can be an important source of…

Eliza -Online Community Team

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