Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. Meet Laurel, writing for release and renewal.

It's Bowel Cancer Awareness month in April and we are sharing Laurel's story. Laurel, known as 'Writing Lola' on the Online Community has been using writing to help cope with and navigate a bowel cancer diagnosis and treatment. We really appreciate you sharing your words, Laurel, so we will hand over now to your voice. In the city where I live, the marking of the Chinese Lunar New Year came with a riot of colours and costumes, lanterns and illuminations, dances of lions and dragons. I looked longingly through the exciting programme of festivities, knowing that this was yet another thing I couldn’t contemplate attending. My body, coping with another harrowing round of chemotherapy, could barely manage making dinner that night, let alone face the effort of getting dressed and leaving the…

Steph - Online Community Team
Dating with a stoma- Sarah's story

As part of the Dating and cancer series, Sarah shares her journey of navigating the dating world since her bowel cancer diagnosis in 2018 and why being open and honest about her stoma bag is important for her. “I've really welcomed having a stoma bag because my bag saved my life. I was always going to embrace it, but it is something that factors into my dating life. If you're going to be intimate with someone or if you're going to live with someone, you have to have a conversation at some point about the bag.” Watch the video below to hear Sarah talking about her dating experiences living with a stoma. If you have a dating with cancer experience you want to share, or have been thinking about starting a new relationship but are feeling worried, join the Let’s talk about dating and…

Megan- Online Community Team
"I saw that I wasn’t alone": The power of peer support when caring for a loved one with cancer

March is Brain Cancer Awareness Month. We want to take this opportunity to highlight our Glioblastoma Multiforme Brain Tumour forum and Brain cancer forum . These are safe spaces for people affected by brain cancer, to find emotional support, discuss treatment and share experiences In this blog, we hear from Chris ( Branoc ), who joined the Online Community shortly after his wife was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. He later became a Community Champion, supporting other members affected by brain cancer for 2 years. Here, he shares some of his story and explains why he believes peer-to-peer support is so important for those affected by cancer. My wife was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (an aggressive brain tumour) in June 2022. I immediately wanted to find out everything I could about…

Dylan - Online Community Team
‘Cancer can’t take my sense of humour’- Brian's story

Brian is one of our Community Champions who was diagnosed with prostate cancer three years ago. He’s married with four children and loves life. Humour has always been a big part of his family life and in this blog, he is sharing how laughter helped him through his prostate cancer diagnosis. For me humour is great because cancer is such a serious topic, it helps folk relax and realise that life continues. Cancer can’t take away my sense of humour. Three years ago, I was one of those men who thought Prostate cancer only affected other people, how wrong was I. Due to various symptoms I ended up in hospital. A few days later my consultant urologist came along with his entourage, drew my bedside curtains, sat on my bed, removed his glasses and in all seriousness said, “Brian, I am so sorry to…

Megan- Online Community Team
Dating and cancer- Mason's story

Valentines’ day was last week, and we started a discussion around dating and cancer here on the Online Community. If you have a dating with cancer experience you want to share, or have been thinking about starting a new relationship but are feeling worried, join the Let’s talk about dating and cancer discussion thread. It’s a dedicated space for Community members to support each other and share personal experiences with dating. In the Lived experiences with cancer and dating blog posted last week, Lauren shares her story. At the age of 25, Lauren was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. As she navigated a cancer diagnosis and treatment, Lauren was also starting a new relationship with Danny. The couple have now been together for six years and recently got engaged. Click here to hear Lauren…

Megan- Online Community Team
Lived experiences of dating with cancer

We all deserve support, love and kindness in our lives, especially when living with cancer as you need emotional and practical support. Along with many other practical challenges cancer brings dating is one of them. Cancer treatment may have changed some of your personal relationships, your appearance and self-confidence, so you are worried about meeting new people. When the time feels right to look for a new relationship, you may find yourself asking questions like these Community members: “So, what does everyone do Re dating post breast or any cancer? Body not the same, medication has not so nice side effects and this effects various parts of my body. I work full time and have varying degrees of fatigue. Where do people go to date similar or match/companion with people who 'get it'?”…

Megan- Online Community Team
World Cancer Day - The Online Community is here for everyone

Ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February 2025 we are highlighting the support shared on the Online Community. As the number of people with cancer is rising, Macmillan are challenging the inequalities in cancer care. We know that many people's cancer experience can be more difficult because of who they are, or where they live. Our Online Community is here for everyone, whoever you may be, or wherever you live. By asking the questions and sharing your experience, you all take a part in supporting others. Together, we can make sure no one has to go through cancer alone. Members of the Co mmunity are here to tell you how the Community has helped them and welcome you to join them in the forums. "You’re definitely NOT alone here. A few months ago, I was on this forum at all hours of the day…

Steph - Online Community Team
New Year, New Dates - Local Cancer Community Meet-ups 2025

Welcome to 2025! If you're in Birmingham, Bradford, Cardiff, Dundee, Glasgow Coatbridge, or Rochester, and you fancy chatting face-to-face with other people affected by cancer... we're delighted to announce even more opportunities to make new friends. These in-person events intend to build supportive communities of people local to the areas they're hosted in. To avoid confusing them with our Online Community, we refer to these events as 'Local Cancer Community Meet-ups' in this blog. 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. The Private Messaging system is a safer way to discuss specific meet-up plans with friends on the forum. Please see our guide to Private Messages and Friends…

Matthew - Online Community Team
When Positivity Hurts: Insights from the Online Community

Maintaining a positive outlook can be incredibly helpful when coping with a cancer diagnosis. Although positivity has a role to play in staying emotionally healthy, it isn’t always healthy when it becomes the only focus. A number of Online Community members have shared how painful and isolating it can feel if a loved one repeats certain positive phrases or overly optimistic attitudes whilst ignoring the more authentic negative feelings a person might be struggling with. When a focus on positivity dismisses someone’s true feelings, it can become “toxic.” We published our first blog on toxic positivity in 2023. It resonated deeply with the Community, inspiring us to write a follow-up blog last year. Now, we’re back with part three. This edition highlights members' comments from Toxic Positivity…

Dylan - Online Community Team
The power of peer support- the Online Community in 2024

Each year we are humbled by the kindness and compassion our members show each other every day on the Community. W e would like to take a moment to celebrate the power of peer support in 2024. Over 21,900 new members joined us this year looking for company and connection. Around 179,000 posts, blogs, and replies were made , alongside 125,739 virtual hugs and hearts were sent. It is amazing to see so many of you supporting each other through a cancer diagnosis, treatment, and side effects alongside the emotional effects of cancer. The power of peer support Connecting with people who are in the same situation as you can be a vital part of your support system when living with cancer or supporting someone who is. It can help you feel less alone when talking to someone who knows how you are…

Megan- Online Community Team
The Online Community Festive Quiz - 2024 Edition

Frost-kissed windows, bald trees and hedges become a platform the robin redbreast’s grand, virtuoso winter performance that fills the chilly air with a sense of warmth and comfort. You could say ‘tis the most wonderful time of the year. That being said, guess who’s back? Back again. The quiz is back! Tell a friend. After extensive research, conducted by hundreds of researchers. Kidding. This year, we’re going to continue using the same format as the previous quiz. Multiple choice questions, a variety of them surrounding the festive theme. We hope you’re warm, cosy and comfortable this holiday season. So grab a mince pie, a cuppa or any food that will keep your belly warm, as it’s time for the 2024 Online Community Festive Quiz. How to play It’s very simple, you use the voting buttons…

Syed - Macmillan
Hair care, hair loss and styling tips from the Community

Are you having treatment and worried about losing your hair? Or do you have questions about styling hair changes? This blog includes some recent experiences and suggestions from Community members across our different groups. There are some great support resources and information to help you cope with hair loss, and we will include some of these towards the end of the blog. We know that hearing the experiences of others can be invaluable when learning how to manage side effects like hair loss, hair styling and maintenance, so we hope you will find the following helpful. Hair loss Coming to the forums to ask questions about hair loss can help you manage and process any hair loss side effects of treatment: “After chemotherapy, when the hair starts growing back, has anyone had experience…

Megan- Online Community Team