Community News - Macmillan Online Community

What does the festive season mean to you?

As the holiday season is in full swing, we know that this time of year can look different for different families. The traditions and customs that you follow can vastly differ from the ways others spend time with loved ones. The varying pressures and expectations at this time of year can lead to a mix of emotions for people affected by cancer. However you like to celebrate or honour tradition in your family during the holiday period, the Online Community is here as a source of cancer support. In today’s Community News Blog, we are talking about managing the festive period. We will be looking at the different ways people cope with difficult emotions at a time when others are often celebrating, or at least seem to be. Cancer support during the festive period Cancer can have a large impact at…

Tom C - Online Community team
January 2022 - Finding peer support from the Online Community

Now we've nearly reached the end of January 2022, we're looking back on the last few weeks and sharing some of the amazing emotional support you've been offering each other. So far in January, we've seen 1,568 new members join the Community looking for peer support. Although we're always sorry that circumstances have brought you here, we wish you all a warm welcome to the site. If you're new to the Community, it's a collection of online support groups, divided into separate forums. You can find forums dedicated to your specific cancer diagnosis or cancer treatment. We also have forums for anyone supporting loved ones or family members with cancer. If you're looking for more general chat and support, you can also find forums where you can talk about your pets, spirituality or even share…

Steph - Online Community Team
Let's talk about treatment: sinus cancer and surgery.

Dan (pictured above), known on the site as Defiantlydisfigured, was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in the ethmoid sinus in 2012, which is a very rare type of cancer. He underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Dan found support from sharing his story online in blog posts and on social media, and he continues to raise awareness for facial cancers. I was 34 and told that I had a large tumour growing inside my head and it was not long before it would invade the space where apparently my brain was. In order to make sure I had a chance to live, they would have to take out my eye to make sure they got it all. Well as shitty as it sounds, it was an easy decision: "whatever it takes,” I said. The wheels moved swiftly after that and before I knew it, I was nervously twiddling…

Steph - Online Community Team
Notice: improvements release postponed

This morning, Wednesday 5 th May, we had planned to move forward with our first batch of improvements to the Community. As many of you may have noticed, the site was down for longer than we had expected. Unfortunately, we ran into some problems when we released the changes into the site. We did not want to introduce any issues into the Community, and therefore we made the decision to roll back the improvements. We are really sorry for any inconvenience the downtime may have caused, and we’d like to thank you for your continued patience. We’re working really hard to get this fixed, so we can release these improvements as soon as possible. If anyone has any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us by commenting below or by emailing us on community@macmillan…

Ellen - Macmillan
Fixes and issues - an update for members, September 2020

Hi everyone, We want to say a huge thank you for your continued feedback and your patience since we upgraded the Community. We have been escalating all issues that have been reported and we are listening to all of the feedback we’re receiving. It has been really helpful for us to understand how you feel the site is working and what we can do to improve. We know the Community is a lifeline for many of our members and we know how important it is to be able to reach out to get support. Below is an update on where we are with some of the issues on the site. If you have any questions about the below then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on community@macmillan.org.uk . 1. Email notifications temporarily disabled Last week, we had to temporarily disable email notifications…

Ellen - Macmillan
'Please don't' - by Cordelia

Cordelia, our guest blogger from earlier this week, is back today with a poem she wrote about coping with people’s comments around her breast cancer diagnosis. Want to catch up on Cordelia’s previous blog? Click here to read her story. Please don’t… Please don’t tell me how I should feel Or what I should think about having breast cancer; How I should be ‘over it’ by now; How I should be more positive; How I should be grateful that I’m alive. And please don’t say, ‘You’re over-reacting to your situation, It’s only you who feels like this’ or ‘It’s time you got on with your life.’ How can you know? You have never been in my situation. And please don’t ask me what I have contributed to my cancer Or tell me how brave I’ve been. There was no choice is all. It was just…

Ellen - Macmillan
Feeling the heat? Here are some tips to help you stay cool

This week, parts of the UK will reach record-breaking temperatures. It's nice to be able to enjoy the summer weather, but wherever you are and whatever your plans are, we hope you manage to stay cool and be safe in the sunshine. This blog can be used as a useful resource if you're looking for some guidance on keeping cool in the heat. If you have any tips that you'd like to share, there's a comment box at the bottom of the page. Click here to add your comment. The heat may affect you in different ways when you’re living with cancer. You may find that the side effects of treatment are making it difficult for you to stay hydrated and regulate your body temperature. On the Community, there are people who understand what you’re going through, so we’re sharing some tips to help you stay cool…

Megan- Online Community Team
Do you need help managing stress

The focus of this month’s Wellbeing Wednesday is all about stress, as April is stress awareness month. As most of our members know, cancer can cause a range of emotions, including stress. Stress can impact mood, sleep, and overall wellbeing. Managing stress can be a challenge, so this blog features some coping strategies and lived experiences. Tips to help you manage stress Change your environment Something as simple as breathing in fresh air can help when stress gets out of control. When you feel under pressure, staying in the same environment for too long may make things worse. Before you know it, words seem to lose meaning and it’s hard to concentrate. Sometimes, it feels like your brain has suddenly stopped working, and this feeling can cause you to panic. Changing your scenery can…

Megan- Online Community Team
Reflection: Looking back

As we bid farewell to the past year and welcome the dawn of a new one, it may often mark the time for reflection and gratitude for approaching a New Year. For many of us on the Community, this transition may hold profound significance as we reflect on our individual journeys affected by cancer and may try to look ahead with hope, resilience, and newfound determination as a new year, looms in the horizon. For some, the past year might have been marked by the whirlwind of treatments, doctor’s appointments, and moments of uncertainty. The difficulties you may have faced, the triumphs you may have celebrated – each step that may leave an enduring imprint on our lives. Let’s see how the members of the Community reflect on their journeys so far. This Community member reflects on the difficult…

Syed - Macmillan
Rhod Gilbert: A Pain in the Neck – a powerful Head and Neck Cancer documentary on Channel4.com

What's it about? On Monday 30 th October 2023, UK broadcaster Channel 4 aired this powerful documentary about one man’s experience with a head and neck cancer diagnosis. It is always a welcome sight to see cancer experiences like this covered by national broadcasters, as it shines a light on experiences that the general public could so easily overlook. When the man at the centre of the story also happens to be one of Wales’ top stand-up comedians, an intimate and honest portrait of a cancer journey like this can be even more impactful. Rhod Gilbert received his cancer diagnosis after finding a lump in his neck back in April 2022. He was driving to Barnstable to deliver one of his comedy shows when his doctor called to confirm the outcome of his tests: Rhod had cancer of the neck, throat…

Matthew - Online Community Team
Life after treatment: Dealing with health conditions after cancer

Being cancer free does not always mean going back to how life was before. For many people, it means learning to live with long-term health conditions. The Online Community is here for anyone affected by cancer to find support from people who understand. Whether you have just been diagnosed, are going through treatment, or are adapting to life after cancer. Last year, we invited members of the Online Community to share what challenges they have experienced after treatment . This blog brings together some of what was shared. Long-term physical effects from cancer treatment Many members spoke about side effects that continued long after treatment ended, often affecting daily routines, mobility, and confidence. One member described chemotherapy-related nerve damage. “I developed peripheral…

Dylan - Online Community Team
And last, but not least - our third and final Christmas prize draw

So far, we’ve asked for your favourite Christmas traditions and songs and what a response we’ve had! It’s been wonderful to hear all about what our members do over the holiday period and today, we’re wanting to hear more. This week, we are giving away 9 echo dots. Echo dots are smart speakers which you can use to voice control your music and smart home, connect with others by making calls and it comes with in-built assistive technology where you can ask 'Alexa' to answer questions, read the news, check the weather, set alarms and more. Our prizes this week have been kindly donated by Loyalty Consulting UK Ltd. Christmas can be a magical time of the year but it can also very difficult. Therefore, we want to focus on how you look after yourselves throughout the holiday period. We want…

Ellen - Macmillan