Community News - Macmillan Online Community

"Summer is a time to eat lots of fresh, seasonal vegetables." - Dining with an Ostomate

We’re well and truly into Summer now, and Debbie – our ‘Chef to the Ostomates’, is back to talk to us about her favourite fresh, seasonal vegetables, and also to share with us a rather delicious ‘Courgette and mozzarella bake'. All of Debbie’s recipes are of course designed with Ostomates in mind, and in case you’d missed any of her recipes to date, you can find them all in our Ileostomy, colostomy and stoma support group here . Summertime – Courgettes and tomatoes: "For me, the stars of the season are courgettes and tomatoes." Summer is the time to eat lots of fresh, seasonal vegetables. For me, the stars of the season are courgettes and tomatoes, particularly if you are lucky enough to be able to grow them yourself. In my early days as an Ostomate, I peeled the courgettes, but after…

Former Member
"There is nothing better than a cuddle with our cat to cheer Brian up..."

"Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions. They pass no criticisms." - George Elliot Over the past several years the benefits of pets to mental wellbeing has grown clearer and clearer. The companionship pets offer is a great way to reduce anxiety and stress, and dogs especially encourage owners to exercise, and possibly socialise with other dog walkers. Over the past several weeks I’ve been talking to Community members and our own staff about the impact pets have on their lives – here’s what they had to say… Cruton and her ‘quirky dog’, Shady: “There are days, which thankfully are few and far between, that I have a down day. My mum used to say these days are allowed, but you must not set up camp and stay there. “I am fortunate to have my daughters, very good friends…

Former Member
Mother's Day - "The thought of them got me off the floor...talking, smiling and laughing again."

This Sunday’s Mother’s Day , a day to celebrate mothers mean to us; all they do for us, and all they mean to us. To recognise this year’s Mother’s Day , I’ve been talking to several mothers on the Community about how having cancer has affected them as a mother. I’m not going to take any further time introducing or the piece – so without further ado, here are our mothers of the Community… 'The thought of them got me off the floor, got me talking, smiling and laughing again.' Cara19 My first thoughts being diagnosed with bowel cancer were of my babies. I just couldn’t bear the thought that I might not be there for them. But after the inevitable tears, the thought of them got me off the floor, got me talking, smiling and laughing again. I’m one of the lucky ones and so blessed to have…

Former Member
My cancer, my sexuality, me.

Just a couple of weeks back I was fortunate enough to have the LGBT foundation get in touch asking if we’d be interested in hearing from a friend of theirs, David, who was diagnosed with cancer last September. David wished to share with us his story about being a gay man and facing cancer – fortunately, David's recent chemotherapy treatment has been successful! David’s story makes for an extremely heartfelt and eye-opening read, from a perspective perhaps shared too little on the Community. Here it is… My nephew – he’s 12 – and I, are in Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. We find ourselves in front of a large TV screen. There’s a film about the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality which took place in 1967. He’s curious and open minded (a credit to his parents, I say), and he watches…

Former Member
"Always trust your gut instinct" - Colleen's story

Colleen got in touch with the Community team a couple of months ago to share with us her experiences following her appendix cancer diagnosis. Colleen’s story offers not a great insight into what is a rare cancer, but also the emotional impact diagnosis had on her and how she reacted. If you’ve been affected by appendix cancer, why not share your experiences in the comments below. So, on being woken on a Friday night in March ’17 with what I can only describe as a pain that I hadn’t experienced before – it wasn’t excruciating, I just knew something wasn’t right... Trip to the out-of-hours service and following a couple of tests I was sent home – the pain went the Saturday, only to return the Sunday, and I was due to fly to Barcelona Monday. So off back to the out-of- hours service, and…

Former Member
Navigating life after losing a loved one

Having recently lost her grandmother, Marie got in touch with myself and the team to share some tips and advice that helped her cope with the loss. Off the back of this, she agreed to put a blog together in the hope that it might be a source of support to users of the site who've perhaps lost a loved one to cancer. Losing someone you love inevitably means reframing your life in some respects. When you’re grieving and in the process of learning new ways of thinking and acting, your world can feel crushingly complex, especially if you need to make sizable lifestyle adjustments. Consider this practical advice for finding your way through major transitions without becoming overwhelmed. Workplace woes Returning to work after losing someone you love can be extremely challenging, especially…

Former Member
Womb Awareness Day 2018: "You're too young to have cancer."

September is Womb Cancer Awareness month and Womb Cancer Awareness Day is the 20 th September. To mark it, Sarah has written about womb cancer and what to be aware of. Sarah was diagnosed with womb cancer in June 2017. She loves jigsaw puzzles, scuba diving and enjoys visiting Egypt where she has lots of friends who live there. Sarah also runs her own blogs, Fatigue vs frustration , Concentrate on the what is and not the what ifs , It’s the season! and How life changes after cancer . It still surprises me today whenever I tell people about my cancer diagnosis. It’s: “oh you’re too young to have cancer”. I was diagnosed with womb cancer in June 2017 and, to my surprise, only 1% diagnosed are in my age group. I was 37 at the time of my diagnosis and what surprised me the most is I hadn’t…

Former Member
World Lymphoma Day: "My illness did not define us, our strength and courage did"

The 15 th September is World Lymphoma Day, a time to raise awareness around symptoms and diagnosis. To mark it, Mike has written about his experience of being diagnosed and the treatment he received. Mike, from Inverness in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland, is married with two daughters and four granddaughters. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 1999. He also has his own blog called Thehighlander’s journey . I often refer to my 19-year journey with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma as my Magical Mystery Tour. Lymphoma is the fifth most common type of cancer in the UK. It can occur across the age ranges including children but it is on the whole very treatable with people living for many years after being diagnosed. But the diagnosis of Lymphoma can be long and drawn out as Lymphoma…

Megan- Online Community Team
"I once had a pub lunch with Judi Dench..." - Meet the Champs: MikeO

Following on from last month's 'Meet the Champs' Q&A with Greg777 , this month we meet MikeO , who you'll find Champing our Head and neck cancer group . Enjoy... How long have you been using the Community, and what brought you to the site? I found the Community not long after my diagnosis in October 2013, after a bit of manic Googling had got me terrified for my prospects I calmed down and looked for a more balanced view. I've always been a big user of internet forums since first taking the plunge into the computer age in 2004 and I'm active in several, travel based some of them but mostly an Everton football club forum that I'm a co-admin on (somebody has to do it). Not a fan of social media in the Facebook or Twitter sense but I like to get to 'know' people on forums so the Macmillan…

Former Member
Being bodies: sex and erectile dysfunction

Our new series “Being bodies” aims to explore our relationships with our bodies, from head to toe and everything in between. We’re kicking off our series by talking about erectile dysfunction, which affects up to 80% of people with penises after pelvic cancer surgery. Erectile dysfunction (ED) can also affect people on treatments which affect their hormone levels. This can include people who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and penile cancer, amongst others. ED can affect people for lots of different reasons, both physical and emotional. It can have a big effect on people’s sex lives, relationships and self-esteem. If this is you or your partner, you’re not alone. Today we’ll be discussing this with the help of quotes from Lorraine, a nurse specialist and sex therapist. “There is…

Eliza -Online Community Team
‘I know that there are people out there who care and can help, I’ve learnt to talk, talk and talk’ – John’s story

As Prostate Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, we wanted to reflect today on what this awareness month means. Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is a time where we shine a light on the experiences of those who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and also raise awareness, not only of this disease, but also of all the support that is out there for anyone who has been affected by prostate cancer. One of the most important things to remember if you have been diagnosed, is that you are not alone. As a Community we know how important shared experiences can be, which is why we are pleased to have one of our Community members, John, here to share his experience of being diagnosed with Prostate cancer at the age of 50. John talks not only about his diagnosis today, but about treatment, returning…

Former Member
“I was diagnosed at 24” - Sophie’s story

Image: Sophie (left) just after being discharged from hospital, and Sophie (right) 4 months after surgery. Sophie found out that she had the BRCA2 gene mutation at 24, which increases the risks for certain cancers. Sophie opted to have a double mastectomy, as a preventative surgery. In her guest blog today, Sophie talks about her decision, navigating the healthcare system and finding support. I’m Sophie, 28 years old, queer, pansexual and a BRCA2 gene carrier. Many of my family members have been affected by breast and ovarian cancer, and it was only when my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer that I was advised to get genetic testing. That test came back positive. I have the BRCA2 gene mutation. This means that my risk of breast and ovarian cancer is significantly higher than that…

Eliza -Online Community Team

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