Lisburn News

Macmillan there to improve lines of cancer sufferers

ONE in three of us will get cancer and its the toughest thing most of us will ever face. If you've been diagnosed with cancer, or a loved one has, you'll want a team of people in your corner supporting you every step of the way.

Macmillan Cancer Support provide practical, medical and financial support and push for better cancer care.

The number of people with cancer is growing every day. Macmillan want to reach and improve the lives of every one of those people,

As treatments improve, more and more people are living with cancer in their daily lives. This means they need more than medical help, they also need practical, emotional and financial support.

You can hold a coffee morning to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Macmillan Cancer Support are a source of support, helping with all the things that people affected by cancer want and need. Its not only patients who live with cancer, they also help carers, families and communities. They guide people through the system, supporting them every step of the way. Macmillan fund nurses and other specialist health care professionals and build cancer care centres . But they give so much more than medical help.

People need practical support at home, so they provide anything from some precious time off for a carer, to a lift to hospital. People need emotional support, so they listen, advise and share information though their cancer support specialists, website and trained professionals. People need financial help to cope with the extra costs cancer can bring, so they give benefits advice, and grants for anything from heating bills to travel costs. Together Macmillan listen, they learn, they act to help people live with cancer.

Macmillan Cancer Support are a force for change, listening to people affected by cancer and working together to improve cancer care. People who live with cancer are experts by experience'. Together they use this knowledge to make a positive difference to the lives of people affected by cancer. This could be anything from getting a coffee machine installed in a waiting room, to bringing about changes in the law.

Macmillan Cancer Support fight discrimination — from challenging unfair travel costs and insurance policies to improving the national benefits system. Together they challenge the status quo, push for change, they lead the way.

Macmillan nurses offer vital services such as reflexology.

Macmillan Cancer Support believe we can all help. We can raise money — through marathons, coffee mornings, street collections, sponsored events. We can give time — at cancer care centres, events, fundraising groups. We can share experience' — online, in the media, with each other. We are Macmillan. Macmillan's ambition is to reach and improve the lives of everyone living with cancer and to inspire millions of others to do the same.

It's a huge goal. After all, more than one in three people will get cancer at some point in their lives. With treatments improving and the population ageing, more people are living with the illness than ever before — two million and counting. Reaching and supporting all of them will be a challenge, but they know their team can do it.

Macmillan will work tirelessly to make sure every single person who needs it gets support from their nurses and therapists. To make sure they all receive help with money worries from their advisers. To get to the point where everyone with cancer knows blow they can turn to them for a chat with someone who understands. To give people practical support with the everyday things. And to make sure they have access to expert cancer information they can trust.

They can't do it without you.

How will they get there? Well, they're a big team, but they need to get even bigger. And that's where you come in. Macmillan need you to join their growing green army and help make sure- no one has to go through cancer alone.

There are loads of different ways you can get involved and help them achieve their goal. You can money or remember them in your will You can raise money — there are oodles of ways to do it so you're sure to find the right one for you. You could help someone in your community, share your cancer experience online or campaign for change. Or you could simply tap into your networks to spread their message. Spending time on Facebook and Twitter has never been more worthwhile.
Together, their team will reach and improve the lives of everyone affected by cancer. Together, they will be there for them every step of the way. Together, we are Macmillan Cancer Support.

Ulster Star
07/09/2012