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…
Did you know that it’s Men’s Health Awareness Week 14th - 20th 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…
Sunita was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer and is sharing her experience with post-surgical menopause, chemotherapy and coping with her changing body image.
There can be a whole range of things to consider when you go through treatment and everybody’s experience is so unique to them. Different aspects of body image are often talked about on the Community and Sunita is sharing her personal journey in the hope it can help…
Photo of the ruins of St. Paul's in Macau, China taken by Willo.
We are back today with the next instalment of Willo’s blog series ‘Cancer & me 35 years on’. Willo is a member of our Community who was diagnosed with Anal cancer in 1986 while living in Zambia and has been sharing her experience of living through and beyond cancer, as well as her amazing artwork and photographs, in her blog series…
Sapphie, also known on the Online Community as , was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 32. Sapphie talks us through their experience trying several different types of prosthetics following their breast cancer surgery in the 1990s, and how humour has helped them and their family over the years.
I was diagnosed when I was 32 years old, after finding a lump and being told by a consultant I was too young to have breast cancer…
Today we are back with the third instalment of our series on coping with bereavement. This series aims to start conversations about grief and loss and provide reassurance that there is support out there if you have lost a loved one to cancer.
Today we wanted to spend some time thinking about bereavement and the media and the effect it can have on those who are grieving. Whether you are watching your favourite television…
Jane, also known as jane2511 , was diagnosed with Stage 1b endometrial carcinoma sarcoma – a rare type of womb cancer in April 2022. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy and external beam radiotherapy, completing active treatment 6 months later. She became…
Helen was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in March 2021. Like many people who receive a cancer diagnosis, Helen felt a mixture of emotions including worry, panic and stress. She had lots of questions about cancer and what might happen in the future…
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…
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’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…
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…
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…
A cancer diagnosis can be a shock. Thinking about treatment may feel overwhelming. If you’re feeling nervous or worried, you’re not alone. Mary was diagnosed with myeloma in 2020, which is a type of blood cancer. This can also be known as bone…
Della talks in her mother tongue, Yorùbá, about her diagnosis, how her family responded and some of the stigmas still prominent in her and her family's community.
This video is part of Macmillan’s mother tongue project.…
Lots of members on the Online Community must navigate when and if to go back to work. If you’re not sure what to do about work, you’re not alone. Every month, we’re featuring someone from Macmillan’s Digital Storytelling project. The Digital Storytelling…
Today, one of our Community Champions Lindsay (Irishgirl16) is sharing her experience of working when living with cancer and going through treatment.
Lindsay was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2021, aged 51. Active treatment took almost 12…
It’s normal to feel lots of different emotions when you finish cancer treatment. Macmillan are here to help.
The Online Community is a place where you can share experiences and peer support with people going through the same thing. In addition to…
Receiving a cancer diagnosis can feel lonely and isolating. But you don’t have to feel alone. There’s lots of support available for you, although you may not know at first where to find it. We’re here to help here on the Online Community. …
Today is World Poetry Day, where we’re taking this opportunity to share Holly’s poems. Here on the Online Community, it’s clear how much being creative can help. Poetry can be a way to cope, a fun distraction and sometimes even a form of art therapy.…
Getting a cancer diagnosis and going through treatment can change a lot. This experience might change how you feel about yourself, alongside how you feel physically and emotionally. Everyone’s experience of cancer can be different. But it can be comforting…
