Community News - Macmillan Online Community

'Nobody is perfect, but my mum was about as close as it is possible for a human to get' - Benedict's blog

Benedict and his mum at his master’s graduation in 2018. Benedict used to work as part of Macmillan’s Community Team, he got in touch recently to send us a piece he wrote about coping with the grief of losing his mum on Easter Sunday last year. We wanted to share it with you all today, and we want to thank Benedict for writing such an honest, open, and powerful piece of writing for us. I’m not really sure why I’m writing this. Aside from a few tentative forays into journalism during a post-graduate career crisis, and some student essays of questionable quality, I’ve never been much of a wordsmith. But for the best part of 24 years, I do know that I have been somewhat of an introvert; an introvert who on the whole finds it difficult having difficult conversations with real human beings and…

Former Member
‘It’s a great comfort food’- Dining with an Ostomate: Fish pie

Debbie, our wonderful 'chef to ostomates' is back today with a delicious warming Fish Pie recipe, perfect for cold winter nights. All of Debbie’s recipes are, of course, designed with Ostomates in mind and in case you’ve missed any of her recipes to date, you can find them all in our Ileostomy, colostomy and stoma support group. So why not put an apron on and get cooking! 'This Fish Pie is another family favourite and is one that I have used many times over the last year as it’s a great comfort food.' Omit the onions if they upset your stomach. I never use cream, always milk and this has the added benefit that it freezes well. I often divide this into three portions and freeze two in foil containers. I usually defrost them before reheating for 30 minutes but you can reheat from frozen,…

Former Member
'Please don't' - by Cordelia

Cordelia, our guest blogger from earlier this week, is back today with a poem she wrote about coping with people’s comments around her breast cancer diagnosis. Want to catch up on Cordelia’s previous blog? Click here to read her story. Please don’t… Please don’t tell me how I should feel Or what I should think about having breast cancer; How I should be ‘over it’ by now; How I should be more positive; How I should be grateful that I’m alive. And please don’t say, ‘You’re over-reacting to your situation, It’s only you who feels like this’ or ‘It’s time you got on with your life.’ How can you know? You have never been in my situation. And please don’t ask me what I have contributed to my cancer Or tell me how brave I’ve been. There was no choice is all. It was just…

Ellen - Macmillan
‘I was astounded to find that many others were feeling as I was’ – The problem of cancer’s long term effects - by Cordelia

Today on the Community News Blog we are really pleased to have Cordelia as one of our first guest bloggers of 2020. Cordelia is a counselling Psychologist who has written about the long-term effects of cancer and she has put together a piece for us today about her own experiences after her bilateral breast cancer diagnosis in 2004. Why not take a moment to read through Cordelia’s story? ‘I wonder how many others can relate to my story below? I was diagnosed twice with bilateral breast cancer in 2004 but misdiagnosed first time round, so two diagnoses that same year. The cancer was a Stage 2 treatable cancer, though the first one was strongly HER 2, so very aggressive, but the tumours were very small, with no spread to lymph nodes or organs. I had two surgeries, two radiotherapies, each…

Former Member
'I do find it helps to go outside and just breathe in the fresh air for a minute or two' - (Denby) Wellbeing roundup: January

January can be a bit of an odd month, both full of the promise of a new year and a fresh start but also a time where the mornings and evenings are dark, the weather chilly and the routines of the pre-holiday season hard to settle back into. To help us all through the next few weeks, we have put together some amazing wellbeing tips and expressive thoughts that we have collected from the Community. So why not put the kettle on, settle down on the sofa and take a moment to look through our favourite wellbeing tips of the moment? 'I do find it helps to go outside and just breathe in the fresh air for a minute or two - especially when tearful.' - Denby 'Never give up! Look at all the options open to you and use the wonderful NHS and Macmillan staff for advice and support.' – 'I do know that…

Former Member
'I am struck not only by the quality of the information but by the depth of care that people who post show. It’s humanity at its best.' – A word from our CEO Lynda

We are thrilled to announce that kicking off 2020’s guest blogs, we have our very own Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, Lynda. Lynda is a huge advocate of the Community and the amazing support you all provide every day. The beginning of a New Year can bring many thoughts and feelings, some very difficult and some more hopeful but it can be a really good time to look forward over the coming days, weeks or even months and really take time to focus on what is most important to you. Whether that is spending more time with friends and family, taking time out to make sure you are giving yourself a proper rest, or maybe booking that appointment you have been putting off. Lynda’s piece today focuses on the importance of seeking medical guidance even when it can feel extremely daunting. Sometimes…

Former Member
‘I felt so much love and support from my fellow carers that sometimes my screen was in danger from the wet of my tears! - What the Community means to me…Vol 3: moomy’s story

A very Happy New year from everyone on the Community Team, we are excited to kick off the year on the Community News Blog with the third volume in our series ‘ What the Community means to me…’ This series highlights just how much support, friendship and kindness is shared on the site every day. Today moomy shares her story, why not take a moment to read through? Missed the last instalment? You can click here to read Johnty and popgate’s stories. ‘I’m really called Helen. I know, the onsite name isn’t my real one! I joined the Online Community so many years back that I’ve seen it change a few times. I’m not even sure quite how long ago it was that I joined. It was then organised into two main groups, ‘General’ and ‘Chat’. I posted a question in ‘General’ but looked across at ‘Chat’ and saw…

Former Member
And last, but not least - our third and final Christmas prize draw

So far, we’ve asked for your favourite Christmas traditions and songs and what a response we’ve had! It’s been wonderful to hear all about what our members do over the holiday period and today, we’re wanting to hear more. This week, we are giving away 9 echo dots. Echo dots are smart speakers which you can use to voice control your music and smart home, connect with others by making calls and it comes with in-built assistive technology where you can ask 'Alexa' to answer questions, read the news, check the weather, set alarms and more. Our prizes this week have been kindly donated by Loyalty Consulting UK Ltd. Christmas can be a magical time of the year but it can also very difficult. Therefore, we want to focus on how you look after yourselves throughout the holiday period. We want…

Ellen - Macmillan
‘Just remember you are what's important. Take time for yourself' - (Gingebiscuit) Wellbeing round up: December

While December can be a month of excitement, celebration and time spent with family and friends it can also be a very difficult, stressful and conflicting time for many. Taking time to look after yourself amongst the busyness of the season is so important, so why not grab a hot drink, snuggle up warm and read through some of the wellbeing tips from the last month? 'Time is precious, people are precious, and a good mindset says " don't waste energy stressing over stuff that we just don't have control over but put our energy into getting through each day and enjoying the moment" - coffee time I say. - Thehighlander "they will pass and there will be better days." ‘I find myself having lots of low days and what gets me through them is knowing that they will pass and there will be better days…

Former Member
'But wait—there’s myrrh...' Our second Community Christmas prize draw is here

Today we are excited to announce the second of our festive prize draws. Thank you to everyone that took part last week, we loved to read about your Christmas traditions. This week we’re giving away two care packages which were kindly donated by Cancer Care Parcel . These thoughtful care packages include both useful and fun things that anyone who may be having treatment or going through a difficult time may find comforting. Included in the care package: To enter the draw: This week we want to hear your favourite Christmas song, whether your partial to some Mariah Carey, Wham, Slade or anything else, we want to hear what you love to listen to around the festive period. Just comment your favourite Christmas tune in the Comment section of the blog below. T&C’s: The prize is a…

Former Member
'I honestly don't think I would be here now if I wasn't told about this site' What the Community means to me...Vol 2: Johnty and Popgate

Today we have the second instalment of our ‘What the Community means to me…’ series. This series highlights just how much support, friendship and kindness is shared on the site every day. Today we have two members, and Popgate sharing their stories and discussing what it means to them to be on the site. Why not take a moment to read through? Missed our first instalment? You can click here to read tvman 's story. Johnty's story: 'I was diagnosed 17 months ago with a rare incurable blood cancer and for the first year I coped all by myself, but as my disease has progressed and is now terminal, I wanted to create a support network for myself. The Macmillan forum has come to play a big part in my emotional well being. "It has meant so much to me to feel useful again..." I have taken all…

Former Member
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" - Community Christmas prize draw

As the nights draw in and each day ends, we get closer and closer to Christmas. It’s a time where we often look back and reflect on the year that’s been and think of the things we’re grateful for and we're grateful for you - the thousands of members who make this site the true community that it is. To mark that, we’d like to be able to give a little something back. Throughout the Christmas period we’ll be hosting three prize draws which are all free to enter. We’ll be asking you for a few of your favourite Christmas jokes, traditions and more. This week, we’re giving away a beauty hamper, kindly donated by Boots, who have been partners with Macmillan for 10 years and raised a massive £16.6 million for us. Boots also have specially trained Macmillan Beauty Advisors who offer face-to-face…

Ellen - Macmillan

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