Stories from people affected by cancer
These stories are about what really matters to people affected by cancer.
Scroll down to see the stories! You can also use the list on the left below to look for stories about particular topics.
These stories have all been created during our What Matters to You storytelling project, delivered in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support.
- The power of words |
- Stem cell treatment |
- Myeloma |
- Womb cancer |
- Stories from health professionals |
- Cancer and intimacy |
- Diagnosis |
- Financial impact |
- Hair loss |
- Screening and prevention |
- Specific cancer types |
- Cancer and employment |
- Post-treatment |
- Stories from the Deaf Community |
- Cancer, children and young people |
- Loss of Identity |
- Legacy |
- about our project |
- cancer and mental health |
- helping others |
- cancer during COVID-19 |
- peer support |
- stories told in BSL |
- healing and recovery |
- impact of treatment/surgery |
- types of treatment/surgery |
- family and friends |
- person-centred care |
- resilience |
- end of life |
- faith |
- emotional impact of cancer |
- caring for someone |
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Luka's Story: Trans Focus
Luka talks about his gender ID and his cancer experience: ‘it’s not about transphobia, it’s about caring enough to get it right.’
Paul's Story: Living Well
It is not what happens to us but the things we choose to do with whatever happens to us that defines us in my view.
Kathy's Story: Me and my 2.5
Me and my 2.5
Angie's Story: How Volunteering Saved Me
Cancer - Going from the depths of darkness to finding the light
Mary's Story: Smiling on the Inside
My sister faced a brain tumour with courage, faith and humour. Now that I face cancer and Parkinson’s I am choosing both how I wish to live, encouraging others every day, and the legacy of hope I will pass on through my painting and my smile.
Allyson's Story: KPOW (Know the Power of Words)
Recieving a cancer diagnosis has been an opportunity to look at every aspect of my life for which I am grateful. My story is about the power of words, those we hear from ourselves and those we hear from others, about facing our fears and looking at the things we can do after a diagnosis.
Gill's Story: Double Trouble
Gill talks about her experience of twice being diagnosed of breast cancer and living with the on-going impact on her mental health.
Jo Anne's Story: Jo Anne's Journey
Unaware of having stage 4 Ovarian cancer while looking 9 months pregnant
Josie's Story: Farewell to Optometry
In looking at a health profession through the eyes of patients as people. It has strengthened my resolve to not look away from honest pragmatism. I shall not be disheartened, the tenderness within can be found.
Sarah's Story: Sports Bra Stroll
With my mastectomy I lost my breast tissue, but gained some fear and courage. I learned to embrace the most simplistic pleasures in life which gave me back my body confidence.
Jodie's Story: A Picture of Who She Was
How love, laughter and the gift of a promise given, helped our family to navigate our way through cancer.
Jenni's Story: Swimming with Sharks
My piece creatively explores the physical sensations and emotional impact of my treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, which coincided with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. I created it to 'bear witness' to my own experience; by describing one of the darkest, most difficult moments, and the fragile threads of hope that seemed to emerge from this lowest ebb.
RJ and CW's Story: The Jewel in the Crown
Outstanding care given by the staff at the Macmillan Palliative Care Unit in Antrim Area Hospital.
Helen's Story: Coping with Cancer
Helen describes one way she uses to cope when living with cancer.
Alex's Story: Somethings Fishy
A small fish lives a happy life in the ocean until one day something no one expected happened. This is a story about challenges related to cancer but also love and support as a tool for recovery.
Gill's Story: When It Just Wont Fit Anymore
A tough return to work in the aftermath of cancer made me see that the ability to just pick work back up again on the way that you used to is not a good measure against which to judge your progress
You Didn't Listen
My employer did not understand, they would not listen and they did not wait until I was ready to come back to work. The stress and anxiety this caused me was harder to deal with than the cancer. This is my story, my identity has been concealed, the hurt and the pain is gone. I hope no one has to go through a similar situation.
Mhairi's Story: My Fight Back to Work
If a safe return to work is to be achievable on the cancer journey, then there needs to be greater understanding of the mental and physical impact of cancer on us, as individuals and realistic guidelines and policies created which reflect this.
Diana's Story: Time and Patience is Always Required
I underestimated how much effort was required to return to work, as did my employers. I would urge people to take their time, and not be pressured into being the person they were.
Georgina's Story: Cancer Work and Me 2
Before cancer, work was integral to almost every aspect of my life. But with new priorities came a new outlook and now I needed to figure out how I could make work work for me.
The Cancer Experience Panel - Walking with You
The Cancer Experience Panel ensures that lived experience is at the heart of decisions about cancer services and support in Northern Ireland. Find out how we’re helping to amplify the voices of people affected by cancer in this video.
Julia's Story: Life is Love
Celebration of family relationships between Grandpa and Grandson.
Alison's Story: 15 Men, 105 Women and ME
For my friends, family and NHS Heroes who supported me, cried with me, loved me and laughed with me and made sure I never walked alone on this journey.
Yvonne's Story: One Size Fits All
Is an annual mammogram the best follow-up test for every person?
Kirsten's Story: The Jacket
This is about how an ordinary jacket triggered the diagnoses of lung cancer to hit home and changing identities.
You can find out about Chatterbox, the online support group I’m part of, here: https://chatterboxcancergroup.co.uk/
Nikole's Story: You're Too Young
A story about stress, love, and happiness, all rolled in together. Centred around a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 28!
Josie's Story: Serendipity Dances with Sunflowers
This is a story about what a cancer patient has found herself learning from dancing with sunflowers.
Adrina's Story: Reflections
My story will focus on my innermost thoughts, feelings and reflections as I progressed through the final few months of my father-in-law’s life. I place particular emphasis on the strategies I employed, as I travelled this personal and emotional journey.
Jayne's Story: Move More
My cancer treatment during COVID brought exhaustion and isolation. With the help of my Move More friends, I finally began to feel understood and ready to be myself again.
Lisa's Story: Sliding Doors
The impact of having a misdiagnosis and how I deal with that mentally.
Karen's Story: How it feels to be on the other side
From a nurse’s point of view.
Jacque's Story
A health care worker’s perspective of the diagnosis process.
Michael's Story: My Journey with Cancer
This is the story, so far, of my being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, my treatment and surgery.
Shirley's Story: My journey of cancer treatment
Shirley’s story is about going through cancer treatment as a deaf person. On top of the challenge of chemotherapy, she had to deal with the challenge of shielding during COVID 19, but also found help with the Deaf Cancer Support group.
Marys Story: Myeloma and My Stem Cell Transplant 2
Diagnosis of myeloma (bone marrow cancer) in June 2020 was a shock - and coping with it complicated by the pandemic. But treatment was at hand - initial oral chemotherapy followed by inpatient care for a stem cell transplant in July 2021. I hope others approaching stem cell treatment find my story helpful – and you can find out about Chatterbox, the online support group I’m part of, here: https://chatterboxcancergroup.co.uk/
Tara's Story: Creating the right environment
My story of being a Macmillan Professional as Project manager for the Macmillan Support Centre at Altnagelvin... and developing cancer during the project.
Katrina's story: My Hero Bonnie
My story is about my cancer journey, how my hero dog Bonnie saved my life and how the film Brave has special significance in my journey.
Alice's story: No New Normal
How I thought I was going to lose myself as a woman after diagnosis. How I wriggled my way through regardless and ended up keeping my femininity and above all my relationship.
Issy's story: Cancer being my own expert
My story about remembering that we are the experts of our own bodies and that we have the power to direct our own care alongside the clinicians.
Trish's story: Missing Conversations
Let’s stop the hush, let’s say the words, have the conversations, be honest and clear in all that’s ahead. Let’s normalise all cancers.
Catherine's story: I am your Macmillan Nurse
I am a Macmillan Nurse navigating life as a thirty-year-old 21st Century woman. This is my story.
Bertrand's story: The Grey Area
My story explores my relationship with papa and how a shift in mindset has helped me find acceptance and given me the ability to focus on him living with cancer, not dying from it.
Yvonne Story: Wrong Place, Wrong Time
My story is about the link between the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 and certain cancers in the West of Scotland. I came to realise that although my cancer might well have been caused by radioactivity from Chernobyl, I wouldn’t have chosen to live anywhere else.
Christeen’s Story: Jazzzz Hands
My story is about acceptance and how I tried to stay as positive as possible and find my jazzzz hands again through my cancer journey whilst praying cancer doesn’t rear it’s ugly head again.
Brenda's Story: From Rage to Sage
My story From Rage to Sage tells of the different feelings and emotions I had going through my cancer treatment. I hope it reassures someone just starting treatment that no matter what feelings they have that it’s OK, natural and by naming mine I have come to terms with over time.
Blue's Story: Living My Best Life
Acknowledging the fear that exists for us all, but seeing the positive in each new day and finding ways to keep living our best life.
Vic's Story: Mera naam Sir hai
The story of how my Dad helped others find their voice in the hope that this brings connection and compassion, allowing others to find their voice too.
Lindsey's story: The Last Breath
Watching someone take their last breath is something you can't prepare for. This film shares my experience in the hope it helps others who have been or will be in this situation.
Nicki's Story: Finding My Phoenix
I am the product of nature, nurture and my life experiences and through my cancer diagnosis I have dug deep to find the light
Issy's Story: When the Lights Went Out
How sex and intimacy helped me fight cancer.
Sarah- Jane's Story: Hushed Voices and Red Faces
My story is about being failed as a woman with gynaecological cancer by the hushed voices and red faces that surround our body intimacy and pleasure.
Diane's Story: Livin on a prayer
My story is about how secondary cancer means your life can't stop during treatment, this is your life now. I learned that you have to find a way to come to terms with the physical and emotional impact of dying while still trying to live life to the full.
Alexs Story: My Life in a Single D Cup
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer - before my first operation - I was so busy coping with what was about to happen, that I was unaware and gave little thought as to what some of the ordinary, rather personal, and completely unexpected consequences of my treatment would be
Dennis' Story: Help to be a Helper
It’s important to be able to help – my story of becoming a Lead Volunteer with Macmillan Cancer Support.
Alex's Story: The Journey
Everyone has a breaking point and it is different for each of us.
This is the story of mine and my journey through it - to a good place.
Phyllis' Story Grow: Through What You Go Through
Despite many hardships we face, just appreciate every day and everyone around you, especially your family.
Diana's Story: I Can't Do Half As Much In Twice The Time
As I struggled not to let anyone down, I finally recognised the importance of putting my own needs first.
Isabella’s (Issy) Story: Singing My Way Through Cancer
This is a story of how singing carried me through the fight of my life and the positive impact the power of song has on my wellbeing today.
Genevieve's Story: Home
Ordinary is more precious, more extraordinary than anything else in your life but only realised when you envisage it gone.
Peju's Story: My year of the Big Cs
Cancer experience led me to find my purpose, combining my faith in Christ and support for others, through The Secret Place, a faith-based non-profit organisation.
Georgina’s Story: Perspective
When cancer has it’s hold, our strength will be drawn from the smallest of gestures, by the people who love us the most.
Ita's Story: Isolated but Not Alone
My story is one of gratitude and thanks. We cannot always control the difficult situations that life throws at us but we can choose to face the difficulties with dignity and courage. I hope my story offers hope, encouragement, and support for others.
Michelle's Story: Letter to my dad from your mighty girl
A story about finding my voice and strength and choosing a life enriched with positivity and the things that really matter.
Lesley's Story: In The Deafening Silence
In the Deafening Silence is my story of growth and reflection on a time when life turned upside down and nothing fit into place like I thought it should.
Peju's Story: Power In Unity
My story is about the importance of having a strong support system and finding my own coping mechanisms to bring me moments of calm and peace throughout my cancer journey.
Blue's Story: Letting Go
It's during the worst times of your life that you will see the true colours of the people who say they care about you...
Angela's Story: Different and In Charge
A story that describes the journey from toxic positivity to active healing, involving herbal balms, books and walks in the park.
Katy's Story: Cheat Code
Katy looks at how to speak to people with cancer using her experience with video games.
Elvina's Story: You Look Well
A story looking at the need for Change in employment for employees treated unfairly in the workplace.
Wendy's Story: An interview with Wendy
Highlighting the importance of bowel cancer screening. How it saved my life, and how a support group can help anyone touched by cancer through those scary times.
Paul’s Journey: Doing this Saved my Life
Hello, my name is Paul. I would have never known I had colon cancer if I hadn't done this simple test. My story.
Paul's Journey
Hello, my name is Paul. I'd like to share with you some things of what it was like to find out I had cancer and what happened after that. Nothing scary, just how it was for me.
Mhairi's Story: Just Keep Moving
Every cancer is different, everyone is an individual and in a world of “one size fits all” tick boxes the challenge is to just keep going…
Clare's Story: Without rain there can be no rainbows 1
Walking in Nature helped me to recognise that I had choice; to reclaim my identity; and to re-gain control of my life.
Jennifer's Story: Take a Moment
How I felt unheard and not understood as an autistic person throughout my cancer treatment. Through resilience and courage, I have overcome my experience to advocate and encourage understanding of Autism.
Nuala's Story: After the Bell Rings
When you reach the end of your cancer treatment and ring that bell, you enter another chapter that no-one seems to talk about and remains quite hidden. Recovering from cancer can continue long after the bell stops ringing
Jennifer's Story: The Power of Connections
How I found ways of coping not only with a cancer diagnosis but going through the treatments alone during the first lockdown of the pandemic.
Eleni's story: Will I Still be the Same
The challenges of facing cancer through Covid as a deaf person. How I struggled to keep my identity during isolation and cancer treatment, and the realisation of how my own strength and connections with family, friends and the Deaf Cancer Support Group, help me continue. I am still me.
Jean's Story: Our Daughter From Loss to Legacy
A story of losing our daughter and creating a legacy to help others in her memory.
Gill's Story: Kintsugi
A shock diagnosis and treatment against the backdrop of a global pandemic have changed me but I’ve learned that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Kevin's Story: Finding Hope by sharing my Cancer
From the shock of my initial diagnosis, I was searching for hope, and I found it in an unexpected place.
Nina's Story: Threads of Silver and Gold
My personal journey through 4th stage cancer diagnosis and treatment and its impact on my identity and family relationships.
Nancy's Story: Telling Lucy
Sharing my cancer diagnosis with my young Granddaughter.
Phyllis's story: Where Do I Go From Here
My story relates to communication and availability of support - it is there, but you sometimes, you just have to ask! We are faced with many challenges, through the Covid and Lockdown periods, but together, and with support. we will get there
Katy's story: The Colours of Life
My name is Katy Megahey and this is the story of my beautiful mum Marilyn Megahey who was full of life. She lived her life to the full and loved her family very much.
Maggie's story: The Bank of Dad
I realised we were going to lose my dad before the adults told me. I was sixteen but somehow I managed to make and store memories that I would gain strength from for the rest of my life.
Collecting Sunflowers
Collecting Sunflowers is about the incredible health and care professionals people that supported me on my cancer journey, and my personal journey towards learning to live and think differently and advocating for my care.
Rubina's story: Searching for Humans (BSL)
The importance of human connections: From feeling lost and unheard in my cancer experience to using my voice to support people affected by cancer.
Mhairi's story: Onwards and Upwards (BSL)
A story of challenge, belief and hope in a bid to be normal and the realisation, through cancer, that we are all normal, normal for us.
Laurine's story: Going, Going, Gone (BSL)
The highs and lows of having hair.
Bertrand's story: The Grey Area (BSL)
My story explores my relationship with papa and how a shift in mindset has helped me find acceptance and given me the ability to focus on him living with cancer, not dying from it.
Alison's story: 15 men 105 women and ME (BSL)
For my friends, family and NHS Heroes who supported me, cried with me, loved me and laughed with me and made sure I never walked alone on this journey.
What Matters To You Webinar
Not a digital story, but a webinar about the What Matters to You storytelling project. We gathered from across the UK, bringing people together, to have a conversation about what matters in personalised healthcare. This is the story of our evening.
Hazel's story: Home from Home
How volunteering brought me comfort.
Desiree’s story: The Rainbow After The Storm
My story is about the spiritual awakening I experienced alongside my cancer journey, and the gratitude I take from life’s blessings and all those around me.
Siobhan's story: My Self and My Cancer
Siobhan’s story raises awareness of cancer and mental illness.
Linda's story: A Hand to Hold
Following the death of her Mum, Linda shares her story of hope and how she was inspired to start the charity No-one Dies Alone Ayrshire.
Rubina's story: Searching for Humans
The importance of human connections: From feeling lost and unheard in my cancer experience to using my voice to support people affected by cancer.
Mark's story: The Road Home
My cancer journey story tells of how important it is if you feel anything is not right to keep asking questions.
Ellie's story: Hair
My kidney cancer journey –about trusting my instincts; the good times, bad times, happy times and sad times and life going on in between, because life does go on, I am still myself.
Diana's story: I Can't Do Half As Much In Twice The Time (BSL signed)
As I struggled not to let anyone down, I finally recognised the importance of putting my own needs first.
Anita's story: Upside Down, Inside Out (BSL signed)
When life gets turned upside down, love, family and friends will see you through. (Along with a sprinkling of prosecco!)
Moira's story: Working on the inside (BSL signed)
It’s not selfish to look after yourself.
Anita's story: Upside Down, Inside Out
When life gets turned upside down, love, family and friends will see you through. (Along with a sprinkling of prosecco!)
Laurine's story: Going, Going, Gone
The highs and lows of having hair.
Mhairi's story: Onwards and Upwards
A story of challenge, belief and hope in a bid to be normal and the realisation, through cancer, that we are all normal, normal for us.
Jacquelyn's story: Bookmarks of Belief
Cancer was only a part of my story. It was not the beginning and could not be the end, even if it had led to physical death.
Moira's story: Working on the inside
It’s not selfish to look after yourself.
Carolyn's story: Shall we dance?
Musical moments in time.
Chris's story: I am still me and you are still you
Blood transfusions were the best treatment option for my grandad, allowing him to live well right up to his final weeks.