Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Information overload? We're here to help

Trusted information from day one When you or your loved one is diagnosed with cancer, it can feel like the whole world has turned upside down. You may feel upset, angry, sad, worried or simply numb. “Still trying to take it all in! As I had been expecting to be told I had kidney stones.” Community member , ‘ Bladder cancer ’ forum “I was told I had bowel cancer and my world fell apart.” Community member , ‘Bowel (colon and rectal) cancer ’ forum “Hi, I was diagnosed with Vulval cancer last week…I am in total limbo and do not know how I am supposed to be feeling ” Community member , ‘ Vulva cancer ’ forum As well as being worried about your health, or the health of your loved one , you may find your head is full of lots of different questions. ‘What will treatment be like?’ ‘How will…

Former Member
Hospice and respite care

There are often members of the Community sharing personal experiences with accessing supportive care from a hospice. Getting support from a hospice may not be something you have considered before as a lot of people think it's only end of life care that is provided. Hospices are there to help those with a terminal illness or life limiting condition and this blog is sharing some useful information about hospice and respite support. Stay and read more if you want to read the personal experiences of our Community members. There’s so much support that a hospice can offer, and it can be useful to know how they can support you and your loved ones for when specialist palliative care is needed. Usually people access help from a hospice if a someone needs specialist end of life care, however respite…

Megan- Online Community Team
Online Community downtime: Thursday 13th October 2022- 7am to 9am

There is some planned maintenance taking place on Macmillan’s website on Thursday 13th October, from 7am-9am. So that this essential maintenance can take place, the Online Community will experience some downtime. This means that members will not be able to log in, or join the Online Community, between 7 am - 9am On Thursday 13th October2022. We know how important the Community is as a source of support for our members, so we always do our best to ensure the site is not unavailable for any longer than necessary. Please know that while the site is down, although you will not be able to create an account, log into the site or post, you will still be able to view the Community and read posts and discussions for support. We understand that this may impact members who rely on the Online Community…

Moderator - Macmillan Community
Pregnancy and cancer support from the Online Community

A cancer diagnosis is upsetting. If you’re pregnant when diagnosed with cancer it can be even more frightening and confusing. You might feel you need additional support as you receive your cancer diagnosis , navigate treatment options and cancer treatment . The Community is here to support you, in addition to a wide range of help available from Macmillan and other support providers. Members of the Community might also be supporting a loved one with cancer at the same time as going through a pregnancy. Or perhaps you are coping with your own cancer diagnosis at the same time as your partner is pregnant. Whatever your situation with cancer and pregnancy, y ou might benefit from additional support as you go through this difficult time. The Community is here for you as a virtual cancer support…

Steph - Online Community Team
New cost of living resources from Macmillan

Lots of people are feeling anxious about the cost of living crisis in the UK. The media recently reported on a Macmillan survey which showed that hundreds of thousands of cancer patients are struggling with rising costs of living. You can read that article here. We've also seen members of the Community start sharing some of those worries across the forums. "My back garden is on a bit of a slope so I no longer hang my washing out as frightened of slipping on steps up to washing line when carrying it, so use my tumble dryer most of the time. Dread to think what my energy bills will be this winter!" "It is all a worry. I think a lot of us face the dilemma of going without food or heat in the coming months" Community members, Express Yourself forum Here on the Community, you can talk…

Steph - Online Community Team
Changing Seasons - Online Community cancer support in 2022.

Summer is often thought of as a time associated with holidays and celebration, Autumn can be more of a time of reflection and transition. As the cold weather closes in and we all face the dreaded prospect of turning the heating on (given the current cost of living crisis), we’re wondering how you’re all feeling? Are you ready to start reflecting on 2022 yet? Or is it too early for all that? In today’s Community News Blog we’re rounding up this year’s blogs so far, sharing highlights and stories of real people affected by cancer that you might have missed. The start of the year had us thinking about New Beginnings , after a changeable few years to say the least. “Today I’m going to be open and not internalise my fear. It’s okay not to be okay.” Online Community member, New Beginnings Blog We…

Tom C - Online Community team
Breaking down the barriers and blushes

Last week we published the ‘why do I feel so guilty?’ blog exploring why we may feel guilty when living with, or being affected by cancer. Today we are talking about embarrassment because it’s often a feeling many people experience when it comes to talking about your body. On the Online Community, we often see members posting about how embarrassed they feel to talk about parts of their body with friends, family and medical professionals. Embarrassment shouldn’t hold you back from getting the support you need so in this blog we’re sharing some of the discussions from our Community groups to help break down the barriers and the blushes of feeling embarrassed when being affected by cancer. Embarrassment is described as a feeling of shame, awkwardness, and becoming self-conscious about something…

Megan- Online Community Team
'Why do I feel so guilty?'

Guilt - one of the most confusing and hard to understand emotions out there. Sometimes, we can feel guilty without quite knowing exactly what we are feeling guilty about. Guilt can also feel like a very irrational emotion. Sometimes we know that what we are feeling guilty about isn’t our fault, yet it can still be hard to shake that feeling of guilt. Whenever anything big happens in our lives, we can feel lots of different emotions, sometimes even feeling things we haven’t felt before. When you, or a loved one, is diagnosed with cancer it’s understandable to feel a whole range of emotions. These emotions can include anger, sadness, confusion and even guilt. There is no wrong or right way to feel and not everyone will feel these emotions. The most important thing is to be kind to yourself…

Former Member
Support from Macmillan with funeral arrangements

Funerals can be difficult in lots of ways. It can be easy to feel isolated or overwhelmed if you are planning a funeral. It can also be hard to cope with feeling excluded from a funeral or the planning process. While for some people, funerals are a helpful way to find closure and say goodbye, this might not be true for everyone. In today’s blog, we are going to talk through support options from Macmillan and reassurance from the Online Community that you are not on your own. It’s natural to feel lots of different emotions around a funeral, and the Online Community is here to help. All of the quotes we’re featuring are from our “Bereaved spouses and partners” group and our “Bereaved family and friends” group . These groups are safe spaces to find support and talk about your experiences with…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Breast cancer and femininity: Issy’s story

Did a breast cancer diagnosis change how you felt about yourself or your relationship with a partner? Macmillan’s Digital Storytelling Project is where people affected by cancer have created their own videos to talk about their experiences. Issy is one of our stories of the month for September, where we will be focusing on cancer, sex and our relationship with our bodies. Issy talks about her feelings about her body and sexuality before, during and after her diagnosis and treatment. Her video talks about her relationship and what helped her to feel connected with being intimate. “I was determined that cancer was not going to take away the person I was and was even more determined that my sense of femininity and sexuality would not be affected.” Issy’s story is called “When the lights…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Catching up with the Family and Friends group

A family member’s or a friend’s diagnosis can have a huge impact on your life. It’s natural to want to find support for yourself while you’re supporting a loved one with cancer. Here in the Community, we have lots of different groups where you can chat to people who may have a similar cancer diagnosis to your family member. These are all safe spaces to ask questions and find support. However, sometimes it can be really helpful to be able to talk to other people who can understand how you feel as a friend or relative. That’s why we also have our “Family and friends” group . In the Community News blog today, we’re going to feature some recent discussions from the group and show you what members have been talking about recently. Remember you can click the links underneath each post to go to the…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Cancer, pleasure and intimacy: Sarah-Jane’s story

Sarah-Jane found it difficult to cope with how her gynaecological cancer diagnosis and treatment affected her experience of pleasure and intimacy. The lack of information from her medical team and conversations around how a woman’s intimate relationship with their body and sex can change during and after cancer treatment left her feeling invisible. Macmillan’s Digital Storytelling Project is where people affected by cancer have created their own videos to talk about their experiences. Sarah-Jane is one of our stories of the month for September, where we will be focusing on cancer, sex and our relationship with our bodies. For many people, your sex life and sexual health can be important parts of your life before, during and after cancer. September is also Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month…

Eliza -Online Community Team