Community News - Macmillan Online Community

"Macmillan’s community becomes my lifeline as in my own community, cancer is still a taboo" -Renita's story

Renita, known as RMD in the Online Community, was diagnosed with invasive multifocal ductal and lobular breast cancer at 48. In this blog, she shares her diagnosis story, the challenges of treatment, and how the Macmillan Online Community became a source of support, hope and reassurance when she needed it most. Cancer was not on my radar until my mum found a lump. In May 2025, during my morning call to my family in India, my sister says, “Now don’t panic but…” “What’s happened?” I cry in full-blown panic, frantically googling flights to India. My mum takes over, calm and unruffled. She is the matriarch of the family, our strength and rock. As usual, just hearing her voice makes me feel better, but what she says has me hyperventilating again. She has found a lump in her breast. It needs…

Megan- Online Community Team
Local Cancer Community Meet-ups - Costa Coffee Glasgow and new venue at Costa Coffee Plymouth

By popular demand, the Local Cancer Community Meet-ups are back in Glasgow ( Sauchiehall Street) Costa Coffee. We are also starting Local Cancer Community Meet-ups at a new venue in Plymouth; Costa Coffee, New George St. If you're in the Glasgow or Plymouth area and you fancy chatting face-to-face with other people affected by cancer, we have another great opportunity to make some new friends. Following the success of the first pilot sessions in Glasgow, there are be meetings planned on Thursdays throughout April and May at both venues. These in-person events intend to build supportive communities of people local to the area they're hosted in. To avoid confusing them with our Online Community, we'll refer to these events as 'Local Cancer Community Meet-ups' here. If you would like to…

Steph - Online Community Team
'But wait—there’s myrrh...' Our second Community Christmas prize draw is here

Today we are excited to announce the second of our festive prize draws. Thank you to everyone that took part last week, we loved to read about your Christmas traditions. This week we’re giving away two care packages which were kindly donated by Cancer Care Parcel . These thoughtful care packages include both useful and fun things that anyone who may be having treatment or going through a difficult time may find comforting. Included in the care package: To enter the draw: This week we want to hear your favourite Christmas song, whether your partial to some Mariah Carey, Wham, Slade or anything else, we want to hear what you love to listen to around the festive period. Just comment your favourite Christmas tune in the Comment section of the blog below. T&C’s: The prize is a…

Former Member
Welcome back!

Welcome back to the Online Community! The new platform is now live, and we’re so happy to share it with you. So please take a look around! The site looks and feels different, but all your groups and content remain the same. When you log in for the first time, you will be prompted to reset your password for security purposes. Once you’ve reset your password, you’ll be able to log in, explore content and post as normal. If you’d like to find out more about why this upgrade has taken place, please take a look at our blog here . Highlights Bookmarks – you’ll now be able to “bookmark” and easily access specific discussion threads, groups or blogs Better search feature – searching for content on the site will now work more smoothly, helping you to get to the content you need quicker…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Music speaks – how music can help us get through difficult days

Community member and Macmillan volunteer Wee Me ’s husband was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma brain tumour in September 2020. You may know her from the “Carers only” group or “Glioblastoma multiforme brain tumour” group . Wee Me has shared lots of blogs here on the Community News. She has shared her experiences and support, from how to cope with hearing news to how to cope as a carer. Today, Wee Me is here to talk about something which is very important to her as a source of comfort and support – music. To quote Hans Christian Andersen, “where words fail, music speaks.” Music is all around us and to some it might just be background noise in a shop or “hold” music on a phone call, but it’s there whether you consciously recognise it or not. It touches us all and gets into your subconscious…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Cancer and Peripheral Neuropathy - support from the Online Community

Online Community members are affected not only by cancer, but other conditions caused by cancer or cancer treatment . The Community is a place where people can come together and share experiences and tips so you don’t have to go through it alone. Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves connecting the brain, spinal cord and the rest of the body. It can be caused by cancer, or its treatment, and is one side effect we hear mentioned a lot across the Community. In today’s Community News Blog, we will be highlighting some of the support shared across different forums in relation to peripheral neuropathy . Members of the Community often share experiences of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and how it affects quality of life following chemotherapy treatment “Hi anyone else got…

Steph - Online Community Team
"But what should I say?" Talking to someone who's been diagnosed

When someone close to you receives a cancer diagnosis, it can sometimes be difficult to know what to say. You want to reassure them, but you don’t want to minimise what they are going through, you may have questions you want to ask, but also don’t want to pry, you want to let them know you’re here for them but also give them any space they may need. It can seem really difficult to know how to start and can lead to some people avoiding the situation all together. When it comes to talking about cancer, there is no one script you can follow because, the simple fact is, ever single person is different and may want to talk about cancer in their own unique way. The most important thing is that you are open to having those conversations about cancer, as being open and available to talk can be a…

Former Member
“Don’t be afraid to speak up and say I am struggling”

Looking after your mental health and wellbeing is so important as it influences the way you feel and cope with challenging situations. Today, one of our fabulous Community Champions Gbear is sharing her personal mental health journey in the hope it will help others who may be going through something similar at the moment. My name is Sarah or GBear as I am known in the Community. I first came to the Community in 2017 when I had just had my hysterectomy to remove cancer. I counted myself very fortunate that I was low-stage and only needed a hysterectomy as treatment, but was told they were holding off radiotherapy as a standby if needed. When I was diagnosed, I was full of anger and self-doubt as I was constantly fobbed off and even made to feel I was making up stuff and that I wasn’t really…

Megan- Online Community Team
Feeling guilty when you rest - relaxation, hobbies and self-care during cancer fatigue

Living with a cancer diagnosis can be exhausting. Managing the side effects of cancer treatment. Looking after your emotional wellbeing. Plus the demands of daily life are still there, needing your attention. It’s no wonder that even dealing with simple tasks can start to feel like an incredible strain. Extreme fatigue and persistent tiredness can really impact your quality of life. Just as severe fatigue is a common symptom of cancer, it can also be a common side-effect of cancer treatment. Life with cancer-related fatigue can feel like you're running a race with no clear finish line. Thoughts of needing to pace yourself are common. Can I spare the energy to do that task today? Will those feelings of fatigue set in the next day? It can be difficult to know when you should take a break…

Matthew - Online Community Team
Working and living with cancer- Lindsay’s story

T oday, one of our Community Champions Lindsay ( Irishgirl16 ) is sharing her experience of working when living with cancer and going through treatment. Lindsay was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2021, aged 51. Active treatment took almost 12 months involving chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. Ongoing preventative treatment will continue for many years. Lindsay lives in Devon, though her job is based in Germany so she and her husband, and the dog, travel frequently between the two countries. She has a grown-up daughter who lives outside London. When my oncologist told me she’d sign me off work for 6 months at the start of my chemo, I was filled with an immediate sense of despair. Not only is my career important to me, but I’m a busy person and the thought of filling endless…

Megan- Online Community Team
"Bladder cancer isn't a rare cancer, even though it's rarely talked about." - Bladder Cancer Awareness Month

t May marks Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, and to recognise this, rily – Community Champion for our Bladder cancer group, has put together a few facts about the cancer, and shared with us his story to date. The below makes for an eye-opening and honest read... Some facts about bladder cancer: 10,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer in the UK every year. There are more than 200 known cancers and bladder cancer is the 5 th most common in the Western World. For men, it’s the 4 th most common in the UK, and 7 th Bladder cancer isn’t a rare cancer, even though it’s rarely talked about. Once regarded as an older person’s disease, we’re seeing more and more younger people being diagnosed. Bladder cancer has the highest recurrence rate of any cancer. It is the most expensive…

Former Member
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