Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Celebrating National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist Day: Here for You When It Matters Most

National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Day is on the 16 th March. The occasion shines a spotlight on the dedication, expertise and care that cancer nurses bring to supporting patients across the UK each and every day. From the moment of diagnosis and throughout treatment and recovery, Clinical Nurse Specialists are there to provide information, support and a familiar, trusted point of contact. Their knowledge, compassion and dedication help people feel less alone as they navigate life with cancer. They provide expert care, help coordinate personalised treatment and support, while also recognising the challenges that can come with a cancer diagnosis. “My nurse was amazing with rearranging appointments and keeping me up to date. I never got lost in the system. Having one point of…

Wayne - Online Community Team
"...reading the message has lifted mine and my grandad's hopes." - Bladder Cancer Awareness Month

Off the back of rily’s Bladder Cancer Awareness Month piece last Monday, I thought I’d also throw a spotlight recognising the cancer by highlighting a few positive, helpful and interesting bits and pieces from our Bladder cancer group, as well as a little feedback received for the group. If you’re affected by bladder cancer, go ahead and share your tips of thoughts with us using the comments section below. Discussions: An Introduction – nickfreckle was diagnosed at the start of this year and posted in the group looking for support and guidance. Our members responded with a flood of guidance, sharing their experiences and offering support and comfort as best they could. "Huge thanks and much love to everyone on the site, it's been a lifeline in the dark days, and an inspiration on the…

Former Member
National pet month

April is National Pet month and we want to take a moment to talk about the support given . F or those who have furry, smooth, big or small animals in y our lives , you know how much they can affect your we l lbeing. In our Animals are family too forum , we see how much a nimals mean to you and how they have provided support in different ways. “While I was having my radiotherapy and chemotherapy in March/April 2019, Chynna would always come on my knee every day while I was waiting for the hospital transport to collect me. It was almost as if she knew what I was going through.” - blackstuff “About 6 weeks before I was diagnosed with cervical cancer my dog would not leave my side, he's normally quite clingy but I noticed he was exceptionally clingy just would not leave me, I am about to…

Former Member
"Nowhere to turn? How I discovered the Online Community..."

Last month Gina, one of our Online Community Champions, shared with the Community part of her cancer journey, specifically interactions with family, friends and colleagues. The blog was called “Most of us just want normality!”, and if you haven’t already read it, it makes for a really thought provoking read. Gina’s back this week to tell us how she discovered the Online Community when she most needed it, and how it’s helped her to date. Enjoy! I got my diagnosis on the last appointment of Maundy Thursday. I left the consultants office in a daze trying to make an understanding of what had just been said and what it would all mean. Initially, when I got the appointment at that time, I felt relief, it meant I would have 4 days off to digest and process what I had been told. To compose myself…

Former Member
Womb Awareness Day 2018: "You're too young to have cancer."

September is Womb Cancer Awareness month and Womb Cancer Awareness Day is the 20 th September. To mark it, Sarah has written about womb cancer and what to be aware of. Sarah was diagnosed with womb cancer in June 2017. She loves jigsaw puzzles, scuba diving and enjoys visiting Egypt where she has lots of friends who live there. Sarah also runs her own blogs, Fatigue vs frustration , Concentrate on the what is and not the what ifs , It’s the season! and How life changes after cancer . It still surprises me today whenever I tell people about my cancer diagnosis. It’s: “oh you’re too young to have cancer”. I was diagnosed with womb cancer in June 2017 and, to my surprise, only 1% diagnosed are in my age group. I was 37 at the time of my diagnosis and what surprised me the most is I hadn’t…

Former Member
Spirituality, faith and cancer in the Online Community

A cancer experience can lead to many changes. Some are physical, while others may affect how you see life, yourself, or the world around you. In times of uncertainty, many people turn to faith or spirituality for comfort, strength, and a sense of peace. Spirituality can mean different things to different people. For some, it’s about following a religion or being part of a faith community. For others, it might be a personal sense of meaning, connection to nature, or time for quiet reflection. In this blog, we are shining a light on our Religion, spirituality and prayer forum . This is a space in the Online Community where you can share prayers, reflections, or explore spiritual thoughts and questions with others who understand. A faith community can play a vital role in your support. It…

Dylan - Online Community Team
"...your reply filled me with strength and a feeling of support. I'll be back!"

In today’s Community News piece, I thought I’d share with you all just a handful of the feedback recently received for our Community cancer forum – feedback myself, Ellen and Jess see day in, day out on the site. The Community’s such an invaluable source of support for people affected by cancer, and the below speaks volumes for you, our Community members, who are the ones sharing your experiences; talking to those who need a listening ear; and offering support and comfort to those who need it most. Enjoy the read, and if you’ve a positive story from the Community you’d like to share, go ahead and do so using the comments section below. “…I'm always so heartened to see the amazing support this little community gives.” “There's lots of support on this group. It is amazing. Sending love…

Former Member
Silver Linings - Nicky's story

A couple of weeks ago I received a lovely letter from a lady called Nicky, who'd included in this letter a short story called 'Silver Linings'. I found the story such a positive and optimistic read that I had to share it with the Online Community. Nicky shares with us her story from an initial diagnosis, to present day where she's 3 years on from surgery. What struck me was how Nicky was able stay so positive both during and after treatment, and keep living and enjoying life. I hope you all like the story as much as I did. "It may be rubbish or it might help one other lady see beyond her treatment. To see the 'Silver Linings' during and afterwards. To keep her going." (Nicky) "No" she shouted in her head, as Chris, the Macmillan nurse went through everything the surgeon had told her. Like…

Former Member
New Year, New Dates - Local Cancer Community Meet-ups 2025

Welcome to 2025! If you're in Birmingham, Bradford, Cardiff, Dundee, Glasgow Coatbridge, or Rochester, and you fancy chatting face-to-face with other people affected by cancer... we're delighted to announce even more opportunities to make new friends. 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
Catching up with the Soft Tissues Sarcoma Forum

A cancer diagnosis can have a huge impact on you and your life, whether it’s your diagnosis or a loved one’s diagnosis. When you are diagnosed with a rare cancer, you may feel even more isolated. It can really help to find other people who understand how you feel and may have been through a similar experience. As part of Sarcoma Awareness Month this July, we want to highlight the Soft tissues sarcomas forum . This is a safe place to talk to other people, share experiences and find support. We want to help you find support if you or a loved one are impacted by soft tissue sarcoma. In this Community News blog, we’re going to feature some recent discussions from the forum and show you the topics that members talk about. Remember you can click the links underneath each post to go to the discussion…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Winter Picture Festival 2023 - Highlights

With just over 50 days left until the official start of spring, it might be a bit of a stretch to say that we're properly through the winter period just yet. Even so, with the shortest day now well behind us, it feels like a good time to look back at the winter like we're moving out of it. Perhaps that's wishful thinking, but I'm ever the optimist! What better way is there to review a season passed than with a selection of lovely photographs? Well, it just so happens that we have a wonderfully talented bunch of Community members in the Express yourself forum who submitted some cracking winter scenes to our Winter Picture Festival 2023 thread. For your viewing pleasure, I present you with some of our favourites! Above: Two beautiful shots from jane2511 capturing a frozen spider's web,…

Matthew - Online Community Team
Dating and cancer- Mason's story

Valentines’ day was last week, and we started a discussion around dating and cancer here on the Online Community. If you have a dating with cancer experience you want to share, or have been thinking about starting a new relationship but are feeling worried, join the Let’s talk about dating and cancer discussion thread. It’s a dedicated space for Community members to support each other and share personal experiences with dating. In the Lived experiences with cancer and dating blog posted last week, Lauren shares her story. At the age of 25, Lauren was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. As she navigated a cancer diagnosis and treatment, Lauren was also starting a new relationship with Danny. The couple have now been together for six years and recently got engaged. Click here to hear Lauren…

Megan- Online Community Team