Her cancer journey
"I’ve had involvement with Macmillan at 3 different points in my life. Over 20 years ago, my dad died from cancer. A Macmillan nurse supported him and our family.
"Then in 2017, I was diagnosed with endometrial (womb) cancer. Within 2 months, I had turned 50, had cancer, and was made redundant from my job. It made me reassess my life.
"Macmillan were helpful and gave me literature about my cancer and about the treatment I had. It was helpful to have physical booklets, rather than having to look for information online. There's so much out there and you don’t know what you can trust, but I know Macmillan are a good, trusted source.
"In March 2023, I was given the 5-year all-clear. But a couple of months later, doctors discovered something on my liver. It was a very confusing time, going from being told I was all-clear to hearing I had cancer again.
"A lovely Macmillan nurse reached out to me after my first appointment for my treatment. I was struggling with the travel to the hospital. I had to get 2 trains and I suffer with travel sickness, so it was quite traumatic.
"My Macmillan Nurse listened to me and pointed me in the direction of the Maggie’s Centre at the hospital. This was a great place for me to go and get away from it all.
"After 3 weeks of receiving treatment for liver cancer, I was told that I didn’t have liver cancer after all. It was actually the endometrial cancer that had returned and had spread to my liver.
"My diagnosis meant I could now be treated at a local hospital. I was frustrated at the lack of joining up across the different hospitals’ systems. It meant I had to go over everything that had happened again.
"I decided to get in touch with the Macmillan nurse who had supported me before. Even though I was no longer a patient at the hospital where she worked, she was happy to keep supporting me.
"Macmillan has always been there for me and my family. I wanted to give something back that also gave me some purpose while I recover from treatment."
"I would encourage anyone thinking about volunteering to go for it. It'll open your horizons."
Volunteering with Macmillan
"Microvolunteering has helped me feel like I'm still doing something useful.
"The first task I did was delivering Coffee Morning leaflets in my local area. I’d organised or attended Coffee Mornings before, so it was nice to be able to support in this way too. I split the task over a couple of days. It was great for getting me out walking in my community.
"I then took part in writing thank you cards for people who have fundraised for Macmillan. It felt good to be able to say thank you to those who support Macmillan's work that I've benefited from.
"Another task I've done was to call different Greene King pubs to thank them for their incredible fundraising. It’s been great to speak to Greene King staff and hear all about the amazing things they do to fundraise.
"A phone call or a handwritten card is so much more personal, and with luck it’ll encourage people to keep fundraising.
"Microvolunteering doesn’t take a lot of time or effort so it’s great while I’m building my strength. I can do it from the comfort of my home or in my local area, and it only takes a couple of hours at a time. The opportunities are nicely spaced out for me, meaning I can get involved with something once a month.
"Macmillan is a charity that most people will have some sort of connection to. I would encourage anyone thinking about volunteering for Macmillan to go for it. It'll open your horizons and make you feel good. You don’t have to give much time or stretch your mind too much, and it’ll give you purpose and focus.
"I dread to think where I’d be without Macmillan. From the support they gave my dad and our family 20 years ago through to the support I get today."
