Ever wonder if anyone famous is on here?

Let’s hope that any celebrity using this site can get away from celeb and get support and help they need. Like Chris Hoy I have metastatic prostrate cancer although incurable not terminal.  I hope he can get the extra support to deal with his diagnosis in the public eye.

Poor Chris Hoy, living with cancer is hard enough, living with it in the spot light must be extremely stressful. Everyone on the macmillan site is anonymous so no one would ever know if someone was a celebrity, as it should be. 
I think the wording around Chris Hoy’s diagnosis is very poor. He has been told he has 2-4 years to live, which means his cancer is incurable not terminal. I hope it was his choice to use the word terminal, and not the media’s who would use this term for maximum impact on their story. 

Noddy holder has cancer,  Ive seen him at christies too but not sure if he's on here, it's a shame we could have a singalong 

It must be terribly difficult to control the narrative. As I said earlier it must be almost impossible to ‘hide’ your condition if it changes how visible you are or changes your appearance. But like King Charles and Catherine, you can perhaps keep more privacy by saying as little as possible. Then the ghastly rags like the Daily Mail take over, often with a poor understanding of terminology and a desire to sensationalise everything / generate clicks. I’d find it surprising that someone not near the very end would describe themselves as terminal, especially someone with children to protect. Like you I hope this was his choice, even if I don’t understand it. 

I think anyone with a terminal disease like cancer or neurological diseases should have a choice of accepting medication which will end their lives. Assisted dying option would give me personally some relief that if my pain is unbearable even with medication I could opt for this. I think the law would need to be very strict on diagnosis criteria and also not allow anyone else to make the decision instead of the patient, and only allow those who have capacity to do so.

I have stage 4 metastatic breast cancer to the bones as did my mum and the last few weeks of her life were awful to witness and for her to go through and I think she would have accepted the option of assisted help to ease her suffering.

I would be surprised if anyone on this particular forum feels any differently, particularly those of us who have witnessed family or friends suffer with end stage cancer. Of course I would like to see significant improvement in end of life care but don’t believe that addresses the pain and loss of dignity some of us will suffer. I am lucky that I can afford to go to Dignitas if I want to, but find the idea of having to make a premature decision upsetting, not to mention the unbearable prospect of putting my family or anyone who might help me at risk of prosecution. What a mess. 

One thing that has been irritating me a bit in all the discussions I've heard on the radio, is the idea that, instead of assisted dying, that end of life care is improved instead. As if one is a 'better' solution than the other.

It is assumed that hospice care is widely available. This is NOT the case! There is no hospice provision where I live, nor is there any likelihood that there ever will be.

There are very few palliative care nurses either. If I am 'lucky', I will be in my own home for my end-of-life, but this is not guaranteed. It will depend on whether other people in the area are also requiring end-of-life support at the same time. It's a lottery! I am faced with very few options.

I'd like the comfort of knowing that assisted dying is an option for me; it gives me some sense of being in control...something we rarely feel on this awful 'journey'. I do not have to opt for it, but the choice being there would be reassuring.

The whole country needs an improvement in palliative and end-of-life care. Hospices should not have to rely on fundraising to stay open. But where will the extra money come from?

It is a mess!

Hi Starflower, The problem is that not everyone has the capacity to make the decision themselves and these are the people who probably need assisting the most. It is so sad!

Spot on! 

I agree with you on this, it’s really sad which is why most of us don’t like to think about it!

 I think it’s really important to put the person in the centre of any legal stuff so I’m going to get a will sorted out and an advanced directive stating all my wishes regarding treatment plans etc.

Take care