Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Coping with loneliness over the holidays

Loneliness is something we see members of the Community talk about throughout the year in our Community forums. Feelings of loneliness are often experienced when you have cancer as you may not have told anyone about your diagnosis or told them how you are coping. This time of year can be difficult for many people for lots of reasons and not alone if you’re struggling. Hopefully, this blog will provide some comfort as we’re highlighting conversations from our forums and including support information. “Christmas can be an awful time of year - not just for those of us who have undergone/ getting on with cancer treatments - yet also anyone that feels lonely/ suffering mental problems, etc. It's a very difficult time of year!” Community member, Bowel (colon and rectal) cancer forum “It’s a…

Megan- Online Community Team
Showing your support over the festive season

With the festive season often being a time of giving, we are sharing some guidance for how you can give support online, or in person at this time of year. R ecently there have been discussions about different Christmas gift ideas for someone with cancer, and what to say in a greeting card. We thought we would share a few ideas from these discussions as a guide to help you show support to someone living with cancer this Christmas. Of course, these ideas can be used for other celebrations too. Finding and giving support online There will be lots of celebrations taking place over the next couple of weeks however the holidays are not always an easy time for a lot of people. This time of year can cause a range of emotions for those affected by cancer and Macmillan are here to support you. If…

Megan- Online Community Team
Talking about body image after cancer treatment and improving your self esteem

When cancer or cancer treatment affects your body image, it can change the way you think and feel about yourself. Body image is important as it can be linked to feelings of self-worth. Members of the Community often talk about how the loss of their hair or change of appearance has affected them. In today’s Community News Blog, we will be sharing conversations about body image from around the Community. There is lots of support available and hints and tips to share. Please do have a read through and share with everyone who might need a boost to their self-esteem following cancer treatment. “I finished my chemo just over two weeks ago but feel so down, I think I thought I’m done, now to start feeling better but feel so awful all the time I look in the mirror and don’t recognise myself I…

Steph - 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
Supporting each other through dying, loss and bereavement: Linda’s story

“From the greatest loss of my life, came the birth of a new beginning and a new way I could help my community.” As Linda says in her video and many people say on the Online Community, you may feel that nothing can prepare you for your loved one’s final days and coping with bereavement. Many people may feel they’re not sure what to expect when a loved one is dying. As part of Macmillan’s Digital Storytelling Project, Linda has created a video to share her experience supporting her mum through end of life. She also talks about her decision to found a charity, No One Dies Alone Ayrshire , to support people who are at the end of their life and their families. We’re sharing Linda’s story this month as part of National Grief Awareness Week . Linda’s video is called “A Hand to Hold”, which you…

Eliza - Macmillan
Coping with the last celebrations with your loved one

When a loved one has an incurable cancer diagnosis, it may be hard not to think about what might be the last time. The last holiday season, the last birthday. Here in Macmillan’s Online Community, we’re here to help you through what may be the hardest days and time of year. Wee Me’s husband was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma brain tumour in September 2020. She has previously shared her experience as a carer and family member on Community News. In today’s blog, Wee Me is talking about how she’s learned to navigate and cope with “the lasts.” “My husband’s initial prognosis in September 2020 was that he had 12-15 months left with us. The question “is this the last…?” reared its scary head several times during those all too quick months.” The festive season will be upon us before we know it…

Eliza - Macmillan
Winter Picture Festival - Let's get creating and sharing!

Many of you might remember last year's Winter Picture Festival , where many of you shared pictures of your art, crafts, dogs and beautiful snowy scenes. Across the site, we know many of our members love sharing their creations, photography and paintings. The Winter Picture Festival is a celebration of your creativity, and an opportunity to bring joy to yourself and other members here on the Online Community. To join in with the Winter Picture Festival, all you need to do is upload a picture in the "Winter Picture Festival" discussion thread. We’ve set up a discussion thread in the “Express Yourself” group . We’d love to see everyone getting involved using the “Reaction” buttons to let other members know you liked their picture! It would be lovely see pictures on a winter or festive theme…

Eliza - Macmillan
Cost of cancer- need new clothes as a result of cancer?

The need for new clothing is the next topic of our ‘cost of cancer’ blog mini-series. If you haven’t yet read the ‘Need help with transport and parking fees’ blog , you can click the link to read it. We know there are often additional costs incurred due to a cancer diagnosis and the ‘cost of cancer series’ is highlighting a few of the costs that members of our Online Community have. Like our previous blog in the series, we will feature conversations from different Online Community groups and include support information. “ It's not just bills cancer patients could use some financial help with, it's the day to day things that they don't get support, like bra costs, prosthesis, hospital parking/triage long waiting or… clothing costs. Having to buy new clothes, just to accommodate the weather…

Moderator - Macmillan Community
UPDATED: Online Community downtime - Monday 5th December

UPDATE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to re-schedule our update for next Monday, 5th December. This means that the Community will be up and running as usual tomorrow. The site will be inaccessible between 1pm-7pm on Monday 5th December. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and if you have any questions, please do post in the comments section below. As users of our Online Community, we want to update you with some key information about some upcoming essential maintenance. On Monday 5th December we will be updating our Community to the latest version of the software we use to provide the platform. We’re doing this to ensure the site continues to run smoothly for our users. The update will also fix some technical issues, which we’ve talked about below. In order…

Ellen - Macmillan
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 - Macmillan
The cost of cancer - need help with transport and parking fees?

This new miniseries about the additional costs a cancer diagnosis can cause, is highlighting a few of the most common concerns members of the Online Community talk about in our forums. We know that cancer can have an impact on your finances and we often see members talking about the cost of transport and parking when attending hospital appointments. If this is something you are concerned about, hopefully you’ll find the information in this blog helpful. Some people need to travel a long distance for hospital appointments which can cause a lot of worry when it comes to arranging how you will get there. Arranging your own transport arrangements can feel overwhelming especially when looking at the cost involved with parking, fuel or public transport. Even if you aren't travelling far, these…

Megan- Online Community Team