Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Writing for healing

Have you thought about diarising your personal experiences? Lots of people find it helpful to diarise their own experiences, either by setting up a personal blog on the Online Community or by using a pen and paper. In this blog we will help you set up your own blog and share information about the benefits of diarising your experiences. How can writing help? Writing can be a powerful tool. It can help you express yourself in a healthy way and make sense of how you are feeling. People use writing for emotional healing as lots of deep emotions can be felt when being affected by cancer. Journalling and writing down your thoughts is a personal coping mechanism that can be used in daily life to support your mental health. “Have you tried journalling? I find writing it all out is…

Megan- Online Community Team
Cancer and covid as a deaf person: Eleni’s story

Do you feel like your cancer experience changed you? Here in the Online Community, we’re featuring a new series working with Macmillan’s Digital Storytelling Project, where people affected by cancer have created their own videos to talk about their experiences. For June’s Story of the Month, we’re featuring Eleni. Eleni has created a video to share their experience of receiving a cancer diagnosis as a deaf person. Their video is called ‘Will I still be the same?” Eleni wrote the following to describe what their video is about, in their own words: “The challenges of facing cancer through Covid as a deaf person. How I struggled to keep my identity during isolation and cancer treatment, and the realisation of how my own strength and connections with family, friends and the Deaf Cancer…

Eliza -Online Community Team
“This risotto is so easy and takes no time at all to make” - Dining with an Ostomate: Roasted Tomato and Basil Risotto

Today Debbie shares her recipe for a delicious roasted tomato and basil risotto, which sounds wonderfully warming on a cold October day! 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 . Enjoy… Roasted Tomato and Basil Risotto - Serves 4, easily halved This risotto is so easy and takes no time at all to make. Use any fresh tomato soup you like. When I had my ileostomy, I didn’t eat tomato pips as I was concerned about blockage, so leave the cherry tomatoes out if you are concerned, or use larger on the vine tomatoes and remove the pips. Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 1 fat garlic glove, crushed 400g Risotto rice 2 x 600g…

Former Member
Finding comfort in Community: Catching up with our Emotional support forum

After receiving a cancer diagnosis, you may experience different emotions. These can be difficult to cope with. The same feelings may also be felt by partners, family members, and friends. Sharing your feelings can help you and others in your situation. In this blog, we will highlight some of the profound discussions that have taken place within our Emotional support forum . Our emotional support forum offers a safe space for connection, empathy, and shared experience. Embracing each emotion Many Community members have expressed feeling angry at some point after being diagnosed. Anger can be directed at oneself, a loved one, or even a medical team member. One member reached out for support in our forum. They wrote about their struggle with anger and asked for advice. “I’ve been…

Dylan - Online Community Team
Looking after yourself, by yourself

Here in the Online Community, we know the power that peer support can have. Spending time with a loved one or talking to someone online who knows what you’re going through, can be incredibly important sources of support. However, sometimes there might be nobody around when you need support, or you might not want to talk to someone right now. Your friends and family might be busy, and you might be waiting on a reply to your post on the Online Community cancer forum . In today’s Community News blog, we’re exploring ways you can help yourself feel better, self-care and looking after yourself when you’re feeling low. What helps each of us feel better can be very individual. There are likely to be many things that you find helpful, that might not be included in this blog. However, we hope that…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Lights, Camera, Action – the Online Community spotlighted in Macmillan Emmerdale TV campaign

At the end of March, we shared a teaser blog about filming a new TV spotlight message for the Online Community. We want to reach more people living with and affected by cancer so we can be there for everyone who needs us. Today, we’re delighted to be able to tell you more about this important project and how members of the Community team have been involved. Throughout April, May and June 2026 Macmillan partnered with ITV's Emmerdale , the much-loved British ‘soap opera’ to help raise awareness of the realities of a cancer diagnosis and the vital support that Macmillan can offer. Steph starred in an advert to appear after Emmerdale to spotlight the support available from the Online Community. Emmerdale’s prostate cancer story Macmillan was proud to be partnering with much-loved soap…

Steph - Online Community Team
'This is a really easy, quick and tasty mid-week supper' - Dining with an Ostomate - Chicken on cheesy leeks

During this time of uncertainty many of us have turned to cooking as a way of keeping us busy and relieving stress. We are pleased therefore, to bring you Debbie’s delicious cheesy leeks recipe today. 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! This is a really easy, quick and tasty mid-week supper. I never experienced any problems with eating leeks when I had my ileostomy, but if you are concerned about them being too fibrous make sure you cook them until they are really soft and puree them with a handheld blender. I often don’t add the Ciabatta…

Former Member
"...and remember the mantra - chew well!" Dining with an Ostomate: Salads

It’s time for another instalment of ‘Dining with an Ostomate’. In today’s post, Debbie talks to us about summer salads, and shares her deliciously fresh and nutritious ‘Pesto lemon chicken salad’. 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 . Enjoy… Summer salads As an Ostomate, I was nervous about trying salad vegetables at first. As my surgery was in January, I didn’t really give it much thought until March, when I was beginning to yearn for salads instead of soup for lunch. Having eaten spinach in soup, and then cooked as a side vegetable, the first salad leaves I tried were baby spinach. As this was a success, I then moved…

Former Member
When your parent has cancer: Bertrand’s story

Bertrand describes that he was at the pinnacle of his life when his papa was diagnosed with cancer. Faced with handling becoming a parent himself and navigating his papa’s incurable diagnosis, Bertrand has created a video about finding what he calls “The Grey Area.” A loved one’s cancer diagnosis can have a huge impact. It can be difficult to find the balance between taking care of yourself, your career and your family, alongside looking after your loved one who has been diagnosed. Bertrand felt he needed to navigate a new stage in his relationship with his parent. He needed to reconcile with needing his papa’s support and guidance, while supporting his papa too. “I wanted his guidance, but I didn’t want to bother him. As I felt that surely any issue I had was minor compared to what he…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Being bodies: vaginal dryness

Vaginal dryness affects lots of people, for many different reasons. Some cancer treatments can cause vaginal dryness. Vaginal dryness can also be a symptom of the menopause that some people may experience. Your body and how you feel about sex can also be affected by how you are doing emotionally. For some people, it can feel difficult to seek the right help. This could be because you feel embarrassed or ashamed, or not listened to. It’s important to know that you’re not alone. In today’s Community News blog, we’re talking all about vaginal dryness, and what might help. “It is so frustrating when something so delicate and intimate can affect us all.” Community member The vagina usually produces some natural fluid. If your vagina is producing less of this fluid, some types of sex might…

Eliza -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
Alone in this, together. Blood cancer awareness.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be an isolating experience. "Im just feeling so lonely because I cant talk to my loved ones about my fears because I know how much it will make them be afraid!" julielovesGoats, New to the Community group . This can be even more true for those who receive a rarer cancer diagnosis, like some blood disorders. In today’s Community News Blog we’re hoping to create a space where those diagnosed with a rarer cancer can come together and share their experience. We will also share some resources and direction for those affected by blood disorders, to honour blood cancer awareness month this September. Feeling isolated is something that most people have experienced in the last year in one way or another. The Online Community is here to remind you that you are not alone…

Tom C - Online Community team