Community News - Macmillan Online Community

"...if you were to see me naked, I look the same as before." - Testicular Cancer Awareness Month

It’s April, and with it Testicular Cancer Awareness Month . To recognise this, I thought I’d share with the Community a few positive stories, anecdotes and ‘words of wisdom’ from our Testicular cancer group. Enjoy, and if you’ve been affected by testicular cancer and wish to share something, go ahead and do so using the comments section below. “Good luck. Try to deal with one day at a time. This is a very curable cancer. The most important thing is that you must accept help from whoever offers it. Taking care of you in all this is essential as you will be taking care of everyone else.” 'Treat it like eating an elephant. Eat it in tiny pieces rather than the whole thing at once." “On a less spiritual note, a good friend said treat it like eating an elephant. Eat it in tiny pieces rather…

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Get to know the Expert: Hannah (Ask a Physio)

One of my favourite aspects of the Community is the fact our members can put any questions they have about cancer to one of our various experts through the Ask an Expert section of our site. Whatever your situation, wherever your location - you can simply log onto the Community and access support from a professional. Want to know more about Experts who volunteer to answer your questions? Well starting from today we’ll be introducing a monthly ‘Get to know the Expert’ Q&A, where our Experts will tell you a little more about themselves, what they do, and how they can support you through your experience with cancer. This month we’ve Hannah , one of our Ask an Expert Physio’s, to start things off… How long have you been an Expert on the Community, and what made you want to volunteer for…

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Dining with an Ostomate - "What I didn't find was any decent recipes for tasty meals..."

Debbie, known to the Community as Jersey Lily , is an Ostomate. She’s also a real ‘foodie’, so off the back of a temporary ileostomy earlier this year, she found it difficult to find tasty and suitable recipes anywhere. Debbie though powered through, adapting a few of her favorite recipes, and discovering new ones suitable for an Ostmate. This week Debbie’s shared with us a recipe for a fresh and health ‘Super Green Soup’, packed full of green goodness – but first, here’s Debbie to tell us a little more about her story… Before I was diagnosed, I was living a healthy lifestyle – eating all the right things, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep. I am not an anxious person, have little stress in my life (being able to retire early from teaching has been a real bonus), believe in positivity…

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"There is nothing better than a cuddle with our cat to cheer Brian up..."

"Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions. They pass no criticisms." - George Elliot Over the past several years the benefits of pets to mental wellbeing has grown clearer and clearer. The companionship pets offer is a great way to reduce anxiety and stress, and dogs especially encourage owners to exercise, and possibly socialise with other dog walkers. Over the past several weeks I’ve been talking to Community members and our own staff about the impact pets have on their lives – here’s what they had to say… Cruton and her ‘quirky dog’, Shady: “There are days, which thankfully are few and far between, that I have a down day. My mum used to say these days are allowed, but you must not set up camp and stay there. “I am fortunate to have my daughters, very good friends…

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Mother's Day - "The thought of them got me off the floor...talking, smiling and laughing again."

This Sunday’s Mother’s Day , a day to celebrate mothers mean to us; all they do for us, and all they mean to us. To recognise this year’s Mother’s Day , I’ve been talking to several mothers on the Community about how having cancer has affected them as a mother. I’m not going to take any further time introducing or the piece – so without further ado, here are our mothers of the Community… 'The thought of them got me off the floor, got me talking, smiling and laughing again.' Cara19 My first thoughts being diagnosed with bowel cancer were of my babies. I just couldn’t bear the thought that I might not be there for them. But after the inevitable tears, the thought of them got me off the floor, got me talking, smiling and laughing again. I’m one of the lucky ones and so blessed to have…

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My cancer, my sexuality, me.

Just a couple of weeks back I was fortunate enough to have the LGBT foundation get in touch asking if we’d be interested in hearing from a friend of theirs, David, who was diagnosed with cancer last September. David wished to share with us his story about being a gay man and facing cancer – fortunately, David's recent chemotherapy treatment has been successful! David’s story makes for an extremely heartfelt and eye-opening read, from a perspective perhaps shared too little on the Community. Here it is… My nephew – he’s 12 – and I, are in Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. We find ourselves in front of a large TV screen. There’s a film about the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality which took place in 1967. He’s curious and open minded (a credit to his parents, I say), and he watches…

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"...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…

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Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, so to recognise this I’ve been speaking with three members of our Ovarian cancer group, and asked them to share with the Community a little about their experiences, and any tips they might have on coping. If you’ve had any thoughts or an experience with ovarian cancer you’d like to share, go ahead and do so in the comments section below. 'My main difficulty was telling people I loved...I felt guilty...' Posie: “My diagnosis came at the beginning of November 2018, and it was a shock. I attributed many of the symptoms I was suffering to the ageing process and long walks with our new puppy. Once diagnosed things moved very quickly as I was on the two-week plan, no appointment should take longer than two weeks from request to seeing a health care…

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Congratulations to Kate, our volunteer radiographer...

"I feel really privileged to be in a position to provide support to people." The above quote speaks for itself as to the time and generosity Kate – our radiographer expert, has given to Macmillan’s Community the past three years. Here’s one of our Cancer Information Nurse Specialists, Kim, to tell you a little more as to why congratulations are in order for Kate: Each year the Macmillan Volunteer Awards celebrate our amazing volunteers around the UK. These awards offer the chance to say a huge thank you for the time, care, expertise and commitment our volunteers so generously give. We’re excited to announce that Kate, one of our professional volunteers on Ask an Expert , has won an award this year. Ask an Expert is available through the Macmillan Online Community and provides people the…

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Wellbeing Wednesday tips: February

In case you missed it, earlier this year we introduced ‘Wellbeing Wednesday's’ – the day of the week where we bring to you our weekly tip on improving your wellbeing; be helping improving sleep, coping with stress, or a couple of mindfulness tips to help you look for the positives throughout the day. It’s last day of February today, so here’s a summary of our tips to date: Mindfulness: Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Mindfulness is a skill. It requires work like any therapy and practice like any skill. You can find out more on the MIND website here . What was good about your day? Finding the good on the bad days can be hard. Trying to find…

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"I make a habit of crying. I consider myself to be quite good…”

One of our Wellbeing Champs here at Macmillan, Nat, recently shared with me a blog she wrote on how she discovered it was alright to be sensitive, to be emotional – to cry. The above follows Nat’s recent “rollercoaster of a mental health journey”, as she describes it – and whilst Nat’s story might not directly relate to cancer, I hope you perhaps read this and think that whatever you might be going through right now, it’s alright to feel emotional, to be sensitive, perhaps overwhelmed or even angry. The Community’s a place for you to share, talk about and help each other cope with these emotions – so go ahead and share! I was taken back to my 4th year at junior school, 5 days residential today for the first time in 30 years. As I stood in the school hall waiting for the coach to arrive…

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"I was not a man in my 60’s or 70’s – I was a 34 year-old female!"

Gina was diagnosed with lung cancer at just 34. She's kindly shared with the Community her experience of being diagnosed, and the shock and impact being diagnosed with cancer had on her at such a young age. If, like Gina, you were diagnosed with cancer at a young age, go ahead and share your experiences with us in the comments section below. You might also like to visit our Diagnosed at a young age group to talk about and share your experiences with others of a similar age. If you saw me walking down the street, it wouldn’t cross your mind that I have lung cancer would it? However, I am a growing statistic that seems to lack an awareness. It is becoming more and more common for young women to be diagnosed with lung cancer. Often, they have never smoked – so the usual red flags are out the…

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Awake and up all night?

We know that cancer can sometimes cause sleepless nights. Join our Cancer Chat forum for some company here in the 'Awake and up all night' thread.

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