Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Cancer & me 35 years on - Surgery at St. Mary's

Today we are back with the 13th volume of our longest running Community News Blog series ‘Cancer & me 35 years on’. Willo was diagnosed with Anal cancer in 1986 while living in Zambia. In this blog series Willo has been sharing her experience of living through and beyond cancer. Alongside sharing everything she has been through, Willo has also been sharing the amazing artwork she created during this time in her life. So far, Willo has covered her experience of moving back to England for treatment, her Abdominoperineal Resection , going back to art school p ost-surgery and the amazing friends and family that helped her through. In today's blog, Willo talks about a very important, and often very difficult time in anyone’s cancer experience, waiting for results. We are back with Willo today…

Former Member
How Reflexology helped me - Charlie's story part II

In today’s Community News Blog, we’re hearing from the lovely Charlie. Charlie began to share some of her experiences with us back in February, where she kindly put together some videos to show the Community how they can use simple reflexology techniques to help them. Charlie is a Clinical Reflexologist and was diagnosed with breast cancer in January this year. She’s been using some reflexology techniques to help her cope with the side effects of treatment. Today she’s sharing some tips to help with heart burn, sleep and nausea. We’d like to say a big thank you to Charlie for sharing more about her journey, and for taking the time to put together these videos especially for us here on our Community cancer forums . Since my last blog the it feels as though an awful lot has happened to me and…

Ellen - Macmillan
Being bodies: vaginal dryness

Vaginal dryness affects lots of people, for many different reasons. Some cancer treatments can cause vaginal dryness. Vaginal dryness can also be a symptom of the menopause that some people may experience. Your body and how you feel about sex can also be affected by how you are doing emotionally. For some people, it can feel difficult to seek the right help. This could be because you feel embarrassed or ashamed, or not listened to. It’s important to know that you’re not alone. In today’s Community News blog, we’re talking all about vaginal dryness, and what might help. “It is so frustrating when something so delicate and intimate can affect us all.” Community member The vagina usually produces some natural fluid. If your vagina is producing less of this fluid, some types of sex might…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Talking about grief

Photo by David Today we are back with our 5th instalment of our Bereavement series. The aim of this series is to try to shine a light on important issues facing those who have lost a loved one to cancer, and remind everyone that the Community is a safe space where we welcome any conversations about grief and bereavement. But why is it important to talk about grief and how we are coping after the death of a loved one? And do we all need to be more open about what we go through when we are grieving? Today we will explore this further and look at the different ways of accessing support. Why is it hard to talk? Talking about grief can be really difficult, it can be hard for both those who are grieving, and those who are supporting them. For those who are grieving, you may worry that…

Former Member
Sarcoma Awareness

If someone approached you on the street and asked if you knew about Sarcoma, chances are you may be part of the three in four people that would be confused by the question. To clarify, according to a recent YouGov Poll posted on the Sarcoma UK website , 75% of people don’t know or are not sure what sarcoma is. Of course, that could be due to how truly rare this cancer type is. So, let’s try and reduce the 75% figure during Sarcoma Awareness Month (1 st July – 31 st July). What do you know about Sarcoma? Let’s find out together as we take a deeper dive into the different types of sarcoma and what the early symptoms may be. What is a sarcoma? According to the University Hospital Plymouth , sarcomas are malignant tumours derived from mesenchymal cells in various parts of the body. These include…

Syed - Macmillan
Let's talk about HPV

After last week’s Cervical screening awareness blog ‘ Overcoming smear fear with the Online Community ’, we wanted to talk about the human papilloma viruses (more commonly known as HPV). HPV can be detected in cervical and anal screenings and today we’re highlighting some of the most recently asked questions about here on the Community. If you need more information, please visit the Macmillan website here or get in touch with the Macmillan Support Line by calling 0808 808 00 00, emailing or using live webchat during the hours of 8am-8pm. When you have been for a cervical or anal screening test, understanding the test results can sometimes be confusing because of the language used, or it not being clear what is going to happen next. Members turn to each other on the Community to support one…

Megan- Online Community Team
Celebrating Pride month

June marks the international celebration of Pride month. In the words of Stonewall , a charity dedicated to supporting LGBT+ people in the UK, “pride is about communities coming together in celebration, protest, unity and solidarity.” June is a month where we celebrate the LGBT+ communities around the world. Here on the Online Community, we wanted to shine a light on the support that is available for LGBT+ people living with cancer and their families. We also wanted to talk more today about the history of Pride and why it is so important. It’s important to acknowledge that the celebration of Pride in June each year doesn’t mean that this is the only time we can focus on supporting LGBT+ people affected by cancer and celebrating the LGBT+ community. Here at Macmillan, we are dedicated to supporting…

Former Member
Here's what you need to know - Community Improvements

On Tuesday 29 th June, we’ll be releasing the first of our improvements into the Community. You can read more below about how this will affect the site on Tuesday afternoon, and what changes you’ll see once the release has been done. On May 5 th , we attempted to go live with these changes. Unfortunately, we encountered some unforeseen issues which meant we weren’t able to go live at that time. Since then, we’ve been working really hard behind the scenes to get this right. We hope you feel the benefit from the first of our improvements soon, and we'd love to hear any feedback you have for us about these changes. Key information The release will happen on Tuesday 29 th June. The Community will be ‘down’ between 1pm – 4.30pm. This means you won’t be able to view, or log in to the site…

Ellen - Macmillan
“It was a surreal experience” - Lesley’s story

After her breast cancer diagnosis six months ago, there was a lot Lesley wasn’t expecting about her own experiences of cancer treatment and recovery. She also wasn’t expecting how much strength she would find in herself, and unexpected places. Lesley talks about her experience with diagnosis, cancer care, breast cancer surgery, radiotherapy, follow-up and recovery in today’s guest blog. Six months ago, I was told the news I had breast cancer... the wind physically left my lungs. I was alone when I got the news. This was for two reasons. Firstly, I thought it was yet another benign pesky cyst and it was a minor irritation and two - it was in the middle of a pandemic. The lovely consultant took my hand, looked me in my eyes and said, “I’ll make sure you’re ok.” I could’ve hugged him, but I…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Prostate Cancer Information

We know from listening to our members that the amount of information to take in when you first get a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. It can affect everyone within a family as well as friends, alongside the patient. In today’s Community News Blog, we’re looking to help by providing clear and concise information on one type of cancer – prostate cancer. “Think everyone here can associate with the overwhelming emotions that come with a cancer diagnosis in a family ” court, Bowel cancer forum. Go to discussion . We wanted to start with a video that explains what prostate cancer is and the main types, risk factors, stages and common treatments available. www.youtube.com/watch Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men in the UK, around 80% of 80-year-old men have prostate…

Tom C - Online Community team
Overcoming smear fear with the Online Community

Many people worry about attending cervical screening appointments, due to anxiety, existing health worries and concerns about the procedure. It’s ok to feel a range of emotions including embarrassment, and by being a member of our Community cancer forums you’ll probably find that you’re not alone in feeling this way. It can be helpful to have the factual information about what to expect and our ‘ Cervical cancer prevention blog ’ has some helpful information about why it’s important to attend and keep up to date with Cervical screening appointments. This blog highlights the reassuring voice of our Community members and the support that’s offered to each other when talking about cervical screening. So if you’re feeling anxious or worried about an upcoming Cervical screening appointment,…

Megan- Online Community Team
Men's Health Awareness Week - Dan wants you to douche it

Did you know that it’s Men’s Health Awareness Week 14 th - 20 th June 2021? The recent Macmillan campaign ‘ Tell Us The Score’ explained that men represent 51% of people diagnosed with cancer, but that only 37% of the calls to the Macmillan Support Line come from men. Similarly, members of the Community are less likely to be men. This means that men are missing out and aren’t asking for, or getting, the essential support they need from us. We want to encourage men to start opening up about cancer and ask for support if you need it. You might worry about how your diagnosis will affect your loved ones. You may have questions about your rights at work, your symptoms, or your money worries. Or you might want someone to talk to, even though you feel under pressure to ‘man up’ and stuff your…

Steph - Online Community Team

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.

Additional content from Macmillan

Access cancer information and more stories from around Macmillan.

Cancer stories and resources

Get further support from our Men and Cancer campaign:

Find the words to talk about cancer