Community News - Macmillan Online Community

I don't know what to say

Knowing the right thing to say can be really hard, and it’s something that everyone struggles with sometimes. Many times, you might say nothing at all in case you say the ‘wrong thing’, or accidentally hurt someone’s feelings. Sometimes, you might feel hurt because of something someone said, even though they didn’t mean anything unkind. While we can’t stop these things because accidents happen, we can work together to find good ways of communicating here on the Community. Everyone has a memory of a time where knowing someone cared helped. Whether that memory is from the Community or otherwise, we all know the feeling of knowing someone listened, even if they couldn’t solve what was troubling us. Talking and supporting each other is what makes the Online Community tick, and in our humble opinion…

Eliza -Online Community Team
What do you need from the Online Community?

Do you want to let us know what you think about the Online Community? We’ve launched our annual survey for 2022! We want to hear what you would like to see on the Online Community, and how you've found your experience so far. The survey should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous. Please complete our survey here. This survey is designed to give you an opportunity to provide feedback on your experiences of using Macmillan’s Online Community. This helps us to make improvements where needed and ensure that it continues to be a valuable resource for people living with cancer. If you have any questions or want to find out more, please feel welcome to contact us at community@macmillan.org.uk .

Eliza -Online Community Team
Planned maintenance - Wednesday 17th March, 6am - 9am

Hi everyone, Due to some planned maintenance, the Online Community will enter a read-only mode between 6:00am and 9:00am on Wednesday 17th March 2021. This means that you will not be able to log in, post or reply on the Online Community during this time. You will still be able to read posts and blogs on the site. If you feel you need some support while the Online Community is unavailable, please remember our Support Line is here for you. Our teams are available 8am-8pm, 7 days a week on freephone 0808 808 00 00 , or by email or webchat . Thank you for your patience and support as Macmillan continues to update and improve our online services. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at community@macmillan.org.uk . Best wishes, Eliza, Ellen, Rachel…

Eliza -Online Community Team
International Volunteer Day - Julia's story

Today marks International Volunteer Day , and to recognise this Julia, who’s volunteered for Macmillan since 2011, has shared with us a little about her story, and the affect volunteering's had on her life following her cancer diagnosis. A year in the life of… I can’t believe another year has passed so quickly! Volunteering for Macmillan has been in sharp focus this year and yet again, it has been wonderful, scary at times and so very worthwhile. I started volunteering for Macmillan in 2011, as soon as I was able to return to some sort of ‘normal’ after surgery and chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. My inspiration to do this was my Macmillan nurse who introduced me to sitting in front of the camera for a film to promote Macmillan's Coffee Morning and I haven’t looked back since. You can…

Former Member
Cybersecurity: Staying safe on the Community and beyond

Ever since the pandemic, the average number of people using the internet and being present online has increased significantly. Ofcom reported that on average, a person was online for more than 4 hours every day. Naturally, the number of cyberattacks have also increased. The BBC reported that there were around 6,000 fraud and scam cases related to the pandemic in general. It meant that there were more numbers online than before. As we’re trying to come back into some form of a normal routine, it’s important to make sure you’re aware of the risks that being online may entail and what you can do to protect yourself online. As the new year dawns on us in January, in this blog, we take a dive to see how you can help to protect yourself online on the Community and beyond to try and ensure you…

Syed - Macmillan
Black History Month – Support and Solidarity on the Online Community

October is Black History Month in the UK, which has been celebrated nationwide for over 30 years. The theme for this year is ‘Reclaiming narratives’, which is around sharing and recognising the contributions of Black individuals and their stories. As part of recognising and celebrating Black History Month, today we are sharing available support and Black people living with cancer who have shared their story on the Online Community. We’re also sharing reflections on Black History Month from Francesca Okosi, Macmillan’s Chief People & Culture Officer. The first Black History Month in the UK took place in 1987 and was arranged by Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, who came to the UK from Ghana as a refugee in 1984. 1987 marked the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean. Black History…

Eliza -Online Community Team
An update to our Online Community email notifications

Hi everyone, We just wanted to let you know about a change to the way our email notifications work. Previously, if you opted to receive email notifications about new posts or Private Messages, a preview of the content would be included in the email. In order to comply with the UK's new Online Safety Act , our website has now been updated to remove message preview content from all notification emails. Although this does mean you will need to check the Online Community directly in order to read the actual contents of new messages or thread replies, it also means users are protected from receiving copies of potentially upsetting posts which may have been subsequently removed from public view. We hope you can appreciate the reasons behind why had to update the way notification emails work. If…

Moderator - Macmillan Community
Thyroid cancer on the Community

As we welcome September, we enter Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month. This blog highlights the practical and emotional effects thyroid cancer can have on your life. As in all our forums, our Thyroid Cancer forum has members who come together to share their experiences and support one another through every step of their journeys. Whatever your experience may be, this forum is a safe space where you can connect with others who may truly understand what you're going through. So join us on the Community as we read this blog to catch up with some of the recent discussions in our Thyroid cancer forum. Remember, if you have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer or supporting someone living with thyroid cancer, we hope this blog can be a helpful overview of the support you can find in the Thyroid cancer…

Syed - Macmillan
Everyone has a Story to Tell

January 30 th to February 6 th is national storytelling week. In today’s Community News Blog we’re talking about the power of healthy distractions. There’s nothing quite like getting lost in a good book or a great film. We widen the conversation here though to talk about anything that can help us feel better, by distracting us for a while. We also take some time to acknowledge more of your stories by highlighting the Macmillan Digital Story Telling Project which is online workshops hosted by Macmillan to help people share their story. In difficult times distraction can be a useful companion. While we often acknowledge the importance of being mindful and living in the present, healthy distractions can help to give us that mental breather we all need from time to time. What’s your favourite…

Tom C - Online Community team
World Hello Day

Today, November 21 st , is World Hello Day – a day to promote peace, bridge barriers and make a difference to someone’s day through a simple ‘hello’. To recognise the World Hello Day, I thought it’d be a great idea to put a Macmillan spin on the day by sharing a couple of soundbites and pieces of feedback for the Community that illustrate how a simple greeting and the friendliness of one user to another – someone they’ve never met before, can have a huge impact on someones life and really help them with whatever difficulties they might be facing. So sit back, take a pew and enjoy – and if you’ve had any similar experiences on the Community, go ahead and share them in the comments below. “I am so proud of how far we have all come. It was difficult to see the light at the beginning but we…

Former Member
Diagnosed as a younger adult - support from the Online Community

In our recent blog ' Getting cancer at our age is such a shock - supporting adults in their 20's, 30's and 40's on the Online Community' we discussed how b eing diagnosed as a younger adult might mean you are more likely to need support with issues around relationships, fertility, family, money and work. In the first of the two part blog, we shared experiences related to fertility and family, with a focus on children and other dependants. In this second part of the blog, we are highlighting conversations on relationships, career and finances. Although many of these issues do affect people living with cancer at any age, this short blog series focuses on the experiences of members who have been diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 20-50. Many people describe finding it difficult to…

Steph - Online Community Team
"How my world changed overnight - thanks to you, Paddy."

S aturday, October 20th marked the start of International Brain Tumour Awareness Week , and to recognise this, Paula, one of our brilliant Online Community users, has agreed to share her story and experience. Well, where to begin ... I’m single, 46 years old, and in February 2018 I saw my GP who thankfully, due to his quick thinking and concern SAVED MY LIFE! He rushed me into hospital where within 4 hours I was told I had a brain tumour, suspected to be malignant. I was immediately referred to Kings Hospital in London and rushed in to meet my surgeon who advised the tumour would be removed March 7 th (I couldn’t be beforehand as there was too much swelling in my brain – they did confirm I have one, so I should be grateful for the small mercies I guess! I remained within Medway Oncology…

Former Member