Community News - Macmillan Online Community

'My consultant's favourite quote was, "It's not a walk in the park, but it's doable" Mouth Cancer Awareness Month- Chris's story

As the end of November draws in so does the end of Mouth Cancer Awareness Month which takes place every November in the UK. To mark this, we have asked our Community Champion chris2012 a few questions about his experience of being diagnosed with mouth cancer. Why not take a look through Chris’s story? When were you first diagnosed with mouth cancer? When were you first diagnosed with mouth cancer? My name is Chris I am aged 58 and live with my wife and son plus our two mini Dachshunds. I was first diagnosed with floor of the mouth cancer in October 2008 and had my first operation on 5th of November that year followed by 30 zaps of radiotherapy and 3 chemotherapy. This cancer started off with what I thought was an ulcer on my bottom gum but was proved to be a cancerous tumour. "My consultant…

Former Member
Lights! Camera! Action! Steph & Emma's Secret London Trip

Earlier in March, Steph and Emma from the Community team took part in a top-secret Macmillan TV project! I’m Steph and I’m excited to share some of our experience with you today. We travelled to London to film with a professional crew so that a message about the Online Community can appear on primetime television in the coming weeks. The filming was part of a larger project, designed to increase understanding and awareness of Macmillan services. We know just how important the Online Community can be to those who use it. Through our TV spotlight message, we hope to reach more people living with and affected by cancer so we can be be there for everyone who needs us. Intrigued? Whilst we can’t yet reveal full details of the project, we wanted to share a diary of our day in London and some…

Steph - Online Community Team
New Dates for 2026 - Local Cancer Community Meet-ups

It's 2026 and we're back with all-new dates for your diary! If you're in Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester, Prestatyn, Preston, Rochester, Washington, or Watford... we're delighted to announce even more opportunities to make new friends face-to-face. These in-person events intend to build supportive communities of people local to the areas they're hosted in. To avoid confusing them with our Online Community, we refer to these events as 'Local Cancer Community Meet-ups' in this blog. If you would like to discuss attending this event with other members of the Online Community, please don't forget that our Community Guidelines still apply. The Private Messaging system is a safer way to discuss specific meet-up plans with friends on the forum. Please see our guide to Private Messages and Friends…

Matthew - Online Community Team
Spring into our Online Community Quiz

Welcome to our spring themed quiz Members have been talking about springtime across the Online Community. Whether it's blossom coming out on the trees or the longer days, there's lots of positivity in the air. Even if you're not feeling particularly positive right now, you might find light-hearted distractions to be helpful. After receiving feedback that many of you have enjoyed a chance to relax and engage with light-hearted content, w e've created a spring themed quiz for the Community today. How to play the interactive quiz Use the voting buttons to choose your answer from the multiple choices shown. You are welcome to try all ten questions, or just a few. Once you have voted for your answer, you will be able to see how many others chose the same answer as you. Where can…

Steph - Online Community Team
The Online Community Festive Quiz - 2024 Edition

Frost-kissed windows, bald trees and hedges become a platform the robin redbreast’s grand, virtuoso winter performance that fills the chilly air with a sense of warmth and comfort. You could say ‘tis the most wonderful time of the year. That being said, guess who’s back? Back again. The quiz is back! Tell a friend. After extensive research, conducted by hundreds of researchers. Kidding. This year, we’re going to continue using the same format as the previous quiz. Multiple choice questions, a variety of them surrounding the festive theme. We hope you’re warm, cosy and comfortable this holiday season. So grab a mince pie, a cuppa or any food that will keep your belly warm, as it’s time for the 2024 Online Community Festive Quiz. How to play It’s very simple, you use the voting buttons…

Syed - Macmillan
Breaking down the barriers and blushes

Last week we published the ‘why do I feel so guilty?’ blog exploring why we may feel guilty when living with, or being affected by cancer. Today we are talking about embarrassment because it’s often a feeling many people experience when it comes to talking about your body. On the Online Community, we often see members posting about how embarrassed they feel to talk about parts of their body with friends, family and medical professionals. Embarrassment shouldn’t hold you back from getting the support you need so in this blog we’re sharing some of the discussions from our Community groups to help break down the barriers and the blushes of feeling embarrassed when being affected by cancer. Embarrassment is described as a feeling of shame, awkwardness, and becoming self-conscious about something…

Megan- Online Community Team
Confused about your diagnosis or treatment options?

Lots of members come to the Online Community with questions. It can be really difficult to cope with feeling that you don’t understand your own cancer diagnosis, treatment options, or information you’ve been given. It’s important to make sure you can access the explanations you may need. It’s also important that you are asking questions in the right place. Remember that you’re not alone, and that there’s lots of support available to you. “I'm just very confused that all this has happened so fast” Online Community member, ‘Acute myeloid leukaemia’ group Receiving a new diagnosis can be overwhelming. You might have received information you don’t understand, or medical terms which sound confusing. Not understanding your diagnosis may cause more worry and uncertainty. You might feel frustrated…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Cost of living - support for people with cancer

" I have been signed off work now, will worry about the finances at a later stage." - Community member Money may not be the first worry after receiving a cancer diagnosis, but we know that cancer can have a severe impact on finances. You might be spending more on everyday costs, such as energy bills or extra costs if you need to travel for cancer treatment. You may be experiencing loss of income if you’ve had to reduce your hours or stop working completely. With increasing costs of living in the UK, we understand that this might be really worrying for people, particularly if you’re already struggling with the household bills. "I am a carer for my wife but money is a worry how many hours can I work part time while still getting carers allowance?" - Community member At Macmillan Cancer…

Steph - Online Community Team
Local Cancer Community Meet-ups - support and socialising in Glasgow

If you're in the Glasgow area and you fancy chatting face-to-face with other people affected by cancer, this could be a great opportunity to make some new friends. Macmillan is trialling a new kind of event this summer called 'Cancer Community Meet-ups'. These events intend to build supportive communities of people local to the area they are hosted in. Not to be confused with our Online Community, we'll refer to these events as 'Local Cancer Community Meet-ups' in this blog post. If you would like to discuss attending this event with other members of the Online Community, please don't forget that our Community Guidelines still apply. We ask members not to share contact details or make specific meeting plans on the public forums. The Private Messaging system is a better way to discuss plans…

Matthew - Online Community Team
Sexual health and cancer: Erectile Dysfunction during and after cancer treatment

Dealing with erectile dysfunction (ED) during and after cancer treatment can be a challenging and sensitive topic for many men. In this blog, we’ll delve into the experiences of our Community members. Sharing their valuable insight on how they navigated the emotional and physical aspects of ED. Additionally, we’ll discuss sexual health and intimacy, challenging the notion of a “normal” sex life. “My surgeon gave me the option of whether to spare my nerves or not and I told him my life was the most important thing to consider and to do whatever was necessary.” Community member, Prostate cancer forum Experiences of Erectile Dysfunction Here in the online Community, no subject is taboo, and our goal is to have safe spaces where members can chat freely about what they…

Dylan - Online Community Team
Spring Picture Festival - Community in Bloom

As we’re approaching summer, we wanted to take some time to look back on the Spring Picture Festival this year. We recently asked members to share pictures of what their spring looked like, whether pictures of flowers, art and crafts, pets or more. We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who shared a picture as part of the Spring Picture Festival. We’d like to add a special shout out to one of our Community Champion volunteers, jane2511 who kick-started the discussion and picture sharing. There are far too many beautiful pictures of flowers, gardens and animals to share everyone’s photographs here in this blog. You can view all the pictures as part of the Spring Picture Festival in the discussion thread in the Express Yourself forum . If you’re new to the Community or if you might…

Eliza -Online Community Team
The Online Community asks "What can I eat?" - diet and food when you have cancer

Lots of people come to the Community looking for help around taking control of your diet, or worried that you might not be eating the right foods. Cancer or treatments can sometimes cause problems with eating, or may restrict what you can eat. Whatever your situation around food, there is often support to be found through forums in the Community. In this Community News Blog, we will be sharing conversations from across the site and highlighting useful information around your diet when you have cancer. Do I need to make changes to my diet? "Has anyone drastically changed their diet after having cancer because they are worried certain foods or drink gave you cancer? I’m scared to eat and drink a lot of things because I always think, what if that, what if this gave me cancer.…

Steph - Online Community Team