Community News - Macmillan Online Community

“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
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
Catching up with the Family and Friends group

A family member’s or a friend’s diagnosis can have a huge impact on your life. It’s natural to want to find support for yourself while you’re supporting a loved one with cancer. Here in the Community, we have lots of different groups where you can chat to people who may have a similar cancer diagnosis to your family member. These are all safe spaces to ask questions and find support. However, sometimes it can be really helpful to be able to talk to other people who can understand how you feel as a friend or relative. That’s why we also have our “Family and friends” group . In the Community News blog today, we’re going to feature some recent discussions from the group and show you what members have been talking about recently. Remember you can click the links underneath each post to go to the…

Eliza -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
Dining with an Ostomate - Butternut squash and sage risotto

Debbie, our resident ‘chef to the Ostomates’, is back this month with another tasty and nutritious recipe she’s been making following an ileostomy earlier this year. This week’s recipe is a tasty looking butternut squash and sage risotto. “Squash is easily digested from early on as an Ostomate, and makes a nice change from carrot or parsnip!” Debbie The health benefits of butternut squash are pretty well documented – they’re rich in fibre, vitamins (including A, B, C and E) and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc. Just 3 tablespoons will count as one of your 5-a-day. As well as also being good for your immune system and bone health, butternut squash is great for digestion – on account of all that fibre! Butternut squash and sage risotto Serves 4, easily halved Ingredients…

Former Member
Making cancer treatment decisions

When you have been diagnosed with cancer, you may have a choice of different treatments you could have. Depending on your diagnosis, you might also be considering whether you would like to have any treatment. Making decisions about cancer treatments for yourself or a loved one can sometimes be difficult. It’s important that you feel you have all the information and support you might need to make the right informed decision for you. “I have changed my mind numerous times over the last week but I think that I could go on re-evaluating the pros and cons for ever and a day.” Community member, Prostate cancer forum It’s natural to have lots of questions about cancer treatment, whether you are a cancer patient or a family member. You might be feeling worried about side effects and quality of…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Talking about PIP (Personal Independence Payment) on the Online Community and Macmillan's campaign to 'Pay PIP Now'

On the Online Community, lots of members have been talking about PIP . ‘ PIP ’ is short for Personal Independence Payment , a benefit for people aged 16 to State Pension age. It is for people who have problems with daily living or moving around. Some people with a cancer diagnosis may experience difficulties managing day-to-day with daily living tasks and could be eligible to claim PIP . If you’d like to find out more about PIP and whether you might be able to claim, here's where you can find information about PIP from Macmillan Cancer Support. You might have heard in the media about some people’s difficulties in claiming PIP and delays in PIP payments . Find out more on PIP delays and catch up on Community members’ experiences in this blog. If you’d like to support anyone experiencing…

Steph - Online Community Team
Meet Kirsty Part 2, diagnosed with breast cancer alongside an existing health condition

Last month , we introduced you to Kirsty to share her story about coping with a breast cancer diagnosis alongside other long-term health issues. Kirsty described living under the shadow of acute Ulcerative Colitis for 21 years before finding a lump in her breast in April 2024. In Kirsty's story, she describes with candid honesty and humour how she dealt with tests for cancer whilst managing relationships with her loved ones. In this second part of two blogs telling Kirsty's story, we will continue to share Kirsty's experience as she told it to us. Kirsty's story, continued. "I was ultimately lucky enough to have what I call 'the good breast cancer'. That is a thing. My sister had the good one too and I can’t believe how incredibly fortunate we are. Because even though breast cancer…

Steph - Online Community Team
“Am I the only one awake?” Cancer and sleeplessness

Have you been up in the early hours of the morning because of your cancer diagnosis? If so, you are not alone. Our Community is available 24 hours a day, making it possible to post or reply in the forums no matter what time you are awake. We often have members writing about their struggles with sleep. In this blog, we want to feature some of those discussions and highlight insightful experiences and wisdom shared. “At times sleep is a mystery on the cancer journey” Community member, Breast cancer forum “Hi folks, this is my first post and it’s the middle of the night because I can't sleep.” Community member, New to the community forum Timeless support: A 7-year conversation Seven years ago, a member of the breast cancer forum found herself…

Dylan - Online Community Team
Skin cancer and Melanoma signs and symptoms check

You may have seen Steph’s recent blog about Sun awareness month and the practical tips to help keep yourself safe in the sun and ways to adapt to sun exposure. After reading this, you may have thought that you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself, but you’re concerned and worried about a new dark spot or mole lesions on your skin. As it’s Melanoma month, we want to share information about what you can do to check for signs and symptoms of Skin cancer and Melanoma. Skin cancer and melanoma- how do I check for signs and symptoms? About half of all melanomas start with a new, abnormal-looking mole in normal-looking skin. This usually looks like a dark area or a new mole that changes over weeks or months. Other symptoms of melanoma develop from a mole that you already have. It’s…

Megan- Online Community Team
How can Macmillan help me? A guide to getting support for World Cancer Day 2024

World Cancer Day – knowledge is power Sunday 4 February is World Cancer Day , an annual event designed to raise awareness of cancer-related issues across the globe. By highlighting the challenges that people with a cancer diagnosis face, and by advocating for continual improvement in cancer information, treatment, and care, World Cancer Day aims to help get cancer issues prioritised by governments and healthcare bodies alike. The 2024 World Cancer Day theme is 'Close the care gap'. There are many complex factors that contribute to unequal outcomes for people with cancer across the globe. Perhaps the most fundamental barrier to getting support is also the most obvious – if you don’t know what support is available, you aren’t going to be able to take advantage of it! Spreading knowledge…

Matthew - Online Community Team
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