Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Being in Nature: Mind, Mood & Moors

When the weather takes a turn for the better, some folks like to go outdoors for a stroll, some like to sit under a tree’s welcoming shade, and some may just enjoy a nice lemonade in the back garden. Whatever your vice may be, we take a look at how some of the Community members in the Breast Cancer forum use their love of nature to help try and put the mind at ease. It can be a difficult trying to go about daily life after receiving a diagnosis. Finding something, like a hobby or activity, can be vital when it comes to clearing your mind and put you at ease when it comes to coping with your diagnosis. In this blog, we will take a focus on how some members of the Community use nature to try and help them find peace. Please note that some of the links may include wonderful pictures captured…

Syed - Macmillan
Help us shape the Online Community

Here on Macmillan's Community, we want to make sure our online space grows and develops in line with what our members want and need. That's why we're reaching out to you, our valued Community, to share your thoughts and ideas. Below we have a few polls asking for your vote on how you'd like to see our digital space develop and grow. We would love for as many members as possible to take this opportunity to actively contribute to the future of our Community. Your thoughts and ideas hold immense value which is why we want to hear from you. By sharing your vote with us, you're playing a vital role in helping us shape the Community and helping others get the most from the site. More ideas? Why not share them in the comments section below. We'd love to hear from you!

Ellen - Macmillan
Feeling guilty when you rest - relaxation, hobbies and self-care during cancer fatigue

Living with a cancer diagnosis can be exhausting. Managing the side effects of cancer treatment. Looking after your emotional wellbeing. Plus the demands of daily life are still there, needing your attention. It’s no wonder that even dealing with simple tasks can start to feel like an incredible strain. Extreme fatigue and persistent tiredness can really impact your quality of life. Just as severe fatigue is a common symptom of cancer, it can also be a common side-effect of cancer treatment. Life with cancer-related fatigue can feel like you're running a race with no clear finish line. Thoughts of needing to pace yourself are common. Can I spare the energy to do that task today? Will those feelings of fatigue set in the next day? It can be difficult to know when you should take a break…

Matthew - Online Community Team
Local Cancer Community Meet-ups - support and socialising in Glasgow

If you're in the Glasgow area and you fancy chatting face-to-face with other people affected by cancer, this could be a great opportunity to make some new friends. Macmillan is trialling a new kind of event this summer called 'Cancer Community Meet-ups'. These events intend to build supportive communities of people local to the area they are hosted in. Not to be confused with our Online Community, we'll refer to these events as 'Local Cancer Community Meet-ups' in this blog post. 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. We ask members not to share contact details or make specific meeting plans on the public forums. The Private Messaging system is a better way to discuss plans…

Matthew - Online Community Team
Living with cancer and coping with stigmas- Kiwi and Indravadan's story

Kiwi and his father, Indravadan, talk in their mother tongue, Gujarati, about Kiwi's chronic myeloid leukaemia diagnosis, how the family responded, and some of the stigmas still prominent in their community. This video is part of Macmillan’s mother tongue project. (4 minutes and 9 seconds). We hope to feature different lived experiences here on the Online Community to represent different ethnic cultures and communities so that nobody feels they are facing cancer alone. Please see an English transcript written below. There are also English subtitles available when watching the video. For additional support information in other languages, scroll to the end of this blog page. Kiwi: Within our Community, depression and mental health are not spoken about, leading to a lack of understanding…

Megan- Online Community Team
LGBTQIA+ support and safety on the Online Community

If you identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, there is lots of help and support available for you from Macmillan . We want to help you to feel you can get the support you need both during Pride Month and all year round. We’ll be exploring how we keep the Online Community a safe place to find support. We'll also share cancer stories from the LGBTQIA+ community, further support and more. The term LGBTQIA+ represents individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, or any other identity within the LGBTQIA+ community . If you would like to learn more about how you can support LGBTQIA+ loved ones or members of the community, we have resources and information in this blog . Getting support on the Online Community…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Sleep after Surgery: How does the Community sleep?

It’s recommended that as human beings, we aim to get 8 hours of sleep a night. Some people can manage with only 4 hours, others may need just a bit over 10. It’s always difficult to get the balance right on normal days. However, for those affected by cancer, it seems particularly difficult to try and get some sleep after having a surgery. There is no right or wrong way on how to get your sleep after surgery. Everyone has their own unique way of finding a comfortable way to the land of nod. If you feel you’re struggling and need some tips, The Community and its members are there for you. If your sleep has become problematic as a result of surgery, please feel free to use some of these examples to try and put your mind at ease. You should always contact your GP or medical team first if your…

Syed - Macmillan
The Online Community asks "What can I eat?" - diet and food when you have cancer

Lots of people come to the Community looking for help around taking control of your diet, or worried that you might not be eating the right foods. Cancer or treatments can sometimes cause problems with eating, or may restrict what you can eat. Whatever your situation around food, there is often support to be found through forums in the Community. In this Community News Blog, we will be sharing conversations from across the site and highlighting useful information around your diet when you have cancer. Do I need to make changes to my diet? "Has anyone drastically changed their diet after having cancer because they are worried certain foods or drink gave you cancer? I’m scared to eat and drink a lot of things because I always think, what if that, what if this gave me cancer.…

Steph - Online Community Team
Holly’s Cancer Poems: Cancer and money (Part 4)

Over the course of Holly’s Cancer Poems, we’ve gone through diagnosis, surgery and chemotherapy. Holly was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2005, and her poems explore her emotions and experiences around cancer at the time. Within today’s blog, Holly talks about her experience of radiotherapy. Holly also talks about the other impacts of cancer such as higher bills and living costs. This is the last instalment of Holly’s cancer poems. If you’ve been enjoying the series, why not let Holly know in the comments below? If you’d like to catch up on Holly’s poems, you can view her previous blogs below: World Poetry Day: Holly’s Cancer Poems (Part 1) Holly’s Cancer Poems: Coping with chemotherapy (Part 2) Holly’s Cancer Poems: Finding support and talking about cancer (Part 3) …

Eliza -Online Community Team
Holly’s Cancer Poems: Finding support and talking about cancer (Part 3)

Holly’s collection of cancer poems were written following her breast cancer diagnosis in January 2005. Her poems talk about her experience of diagnosis, treatment including surgery and treatment, side effects and talking to her sons about cancer. In today’s blog, Holly talks about explaining cancer to children and saying thank you to the people that helped her through. Holly’s collection is called “Holly’s cancer poems…The truth behind my smile.” You can catch up with Holly’s story so far by reading her previous blogs on Community News: World Poetry Day: Holly’s Cancer Poems (Part 1) Holly’s Cancer Poems: Coping with chemotherapy (Part 2) If you’d like to go straight to Holly’s poems, just use the buttons below: Holly's poems: The future Pterodactyl in my tummy Last…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Holly’s Cancer Poems: Coping with chemotherapy (Part 2)

Holly was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2005. Holly has shared her experience through poems, written at different points of her experience with cancer. If you’ve not read Part 1 where Holly describes her diagnosis, you can read Part 1 on Community News . In today’s blog, we’re sharing 5 poems which talk about Holly’s experience going through chemotherapy. Her poems also talk about coping with side effects from chemotherapy, such as hair loss. Holly also talks about her experiences of talking to family and friends about cancer. This Community News blog is a little bit longer than our other blogs. If you would like to skip straight to Holly’s poems, please use the buttons below: Holly's poems: Cancer terror Under Siege Going bald Sick to the stomach with chemo The…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Naveed's story living with a rare heart cancer

Naveed and his wife, Naveen, talk in their mother tongue, Urdu, about Naveed's diagnosis and some of the stigmas still prominent in their community. This video is part of Macmillan’s mother tongue project, (4 minutes and 19 seconds). We hope to feature different lived experiences here on the Online Community to represent different ethnic cultures and communities, so nobody feels they are facing cancer alone. Please see an English transcript written below. There are also English subtitles available when watching the video. For additional support information in other languages, scroll to the end of this blog page. Naveen : “Because treatment was so delayed, it felt like at any time, it could be his last night or last day for us. So that was incredibly hard. I wish I was stronger at…

Megan- Online Community Team