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
It's almost time!

Hi everyone, Last week, the Community team blogged about some important changes that are going to happen from Monday 27 th July. With only a few days to go before the upgrade, we wanted to reach out with a reminder about what to expect. We know how important the Online Community is to you and all our members. While this upgrade marks a new beginning for the Community, the site will still continue to be a source of comfort and support for everyone affected by cancer in the same ways it always has. Key changes and what to expect On Monday 27 th July , the Community will experience some ‘downtime’. This means that the site will not be available from approximately 9am-5pm. The site will then enter a ‘read only’ mode until Wednesday 29 th July. This means you will be able to view and…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Technical problems on the Community

As you may be aware, the Online Community wasn’t quite working this morning (20 June). The Community is now back up and running and should be working as normal for everyone. We're so sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused as we really understand that the Community is an important source of support for many members. If you are continuing to have any technical problems, such as being unable to post on the site, please let the Community team know via email to community@macmillan.org.uk . Please note we might not be able to fix all technical problems immediately. However, we’ll do our best to help everyone as soon as possible. If you’re having any issues accessing the Community and would really like to talk to someone for some emotional support, please remember you can contact our…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Pride - Supporting LGBT+ people affected by cancer

The month of June has been celebrated as Pride month for the LGBT+ community for decades. For the first time in recent memory, there will be no Pride marches across the UK this year. We didn’t want to let that stop us celebrating this important time, alongside recognising how much there is still to do to support equality. Macmillan and the Online Community are here for everyone affected by cancer, no matter how you identify or who you love. If you’re wondering why we’re talking about Pride, check out the Macmillan cancer information team’s blog post here . An estimated 1.2 million people in the UK identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, while other estimates suggest this could be as high as 3.6 million. Macmillan’s Emerging Picture report acknowledges that accurate figures on sexuality and…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Talking about cancer - Vol 1 - Debbie

Speaking about a cancer experience can help you and others, here on the Community the power of shared experience is all around us: ‘It really is reassuring to know others have trodden the path I am fearing to tread… It makes me feel I am not alone in this.’ - mamachimp Thank you for sharing your personal story…I’m feeling much more supported and not alone. Thank you so much for taking the time to sharing your thoughts, I find them incredibly motivating.’ - Jatz But what about sharing your experiences more publicly? Today we are starting a new miniseries about how some of our Community members found speaking to the press about their cancer experience. Debbie is our first guest blogger of the series and is sharing her experience of speaking to ITV Channel Island News about her Bowel cancer…

Former Member
A period of change

This month we start to see the changes from Summer to Autumn. We know this happens every year but unexpected changes like a new symptom, side effect or waiting for test results, can bring a lot of uncertainty and make us feel uneasy. We often discuss change on the Community. How we see change depends on who we are and our current situation. It may be forced upon us or something we are expecting, but either way we have to adjust. What we see on the Community is how you respond to change matters. You may not be able to control what is happening to you, but you can control how you react. Being there to help each other can be comforting and empowering. “People have different coping strategies. I very much wanted to know as much as possible from reliable sources so I could make informed choices…

Megan- Online Community Team
Planned maintenance - Thursday 10th September, 6am-10am

Hi everyone, Due to some planned maintenance on the main Macmillan website, www.macmillan.org.uk , the Online Community will enter a read-only mode between 6:00am and 10:00am on Thursday 10 th September. The main Macmillan website (macmillan.org.uk) will also be unavailable from 6:00am-10:00am. This means that you will not be able to log in or post on the Online Community during this time. You will still be able to read posts and blogs on the site. If you feel you need some support while the Online Community is unavailable, please remember our Support Line is here for you. Our teams are available 8am-8pm, 7 days a week on freephone 0808 808 00 00 , or by email or webchat . Thank you for your continued patience as Macmillan continues to update and improve our online services. If you…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Cancer & Me 35 Years On – vol 4 – Brachytherapy – (the Radium Needle Implant)

Today in our Community News blog Willo is back with the fourth instalment of her guest blog 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 3 – The journey home , you can click here to catch up. My younger son spent as much of his Easter holidays with me as was possible and we travelled far and wide together, spending several days in London with friends who drove us all around the sights - and we also saw Les Miserables from the cheapest seats up in the gods, looking down on the heads of the company,…

Former Member
Dining with an Ostomate - Golden goats' cheese, beetroot and squash salad

We are really pleased to be back this autumn with another instalment of our ‘Dining with an Ostomate’ series. Today we are sharing Debbie’s recipe for golden goats’ cheese, beetroot and squash salad. 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! I often make this when I have left over squash, and halve the recipe to make a more substantial main course for two people. If you have an ileostomy, omit the pumpkin seeds. Beetroot may change the colour of your output so don’t be alarmed! Omit the salad leaves if you can’t digest them easily. Golden Goats…

Former Member
Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Staying safe and looking after each other

Hi everyone, Blankets, cups of tea and biscuits are in order in this uncertain and perhaps stressful month. Discussions about coronavirus (COVID-19) are everywhere on the news and here in the Community, so we wanted to collate some key tips to help you navigate the coming weeks and to stay safe. The government has issued this advice for those who are particularly vulnerable due to their health. This includes advice for carers, advice on hospital or GP appointments and mental wellbeing. This is being updated regularly and we would recommend checking this on a daily basis if you are worried about taking the right steps to stay safe. Macmillan have also provided some information and answered some key questions around cancer and coronavirus (COVID-19) . Some of us may be experiencing confusion…

Eliza -Online Community Team
'Talking Cancer' - Macmillan's new podcast

In today’s news blog, we hear from Katie who works in our media team here at Macmillan. She’s writing today to tell our Community all about a new podcast, ‘Talking Cancer’, that’s been created with the aims to share experiences and hear from people affected by cancer. Hi everyone! We wanted to be the first to tell you that the first two episodes of ‘Talking Cancer’, the new national Macmillan podcast, are now downloadable on all main podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts. Tune in to hear heart-warming, intimate conversations between Radio DJ and Macmillan supporter Emma B and the people living with, or affected by, cancer who have taken the time to share their stories about one of the toughest times of their lives. Emma also has a chat with Macmillan professional…

Ellen - Macmillan

Awake and up all night?

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