Supporting everyday heroes
Thanks to gifts in wills, there’s an easy way for you to help fund Macmillan Cancer Support’s crucial work, writes Rosie Mullender
From nurses and physiotherapists to fundraisers and benefits advisors, Macmillan Cancer Support staff across the UK are busy making the lives of people with cancer, their carers and their loved ones that little bit easier. And with over a third of Macmillan’s funding coming from gifts in wills, it really is a simple way of supporting their incredible efforts.
“I supported one patient who I just adored, and I found out that after he died, he’d left £10,000 to Macmillan,” says Macmillan nurse Fahida Rehman. “In his message, he said: ‘The nurses carried me through every journey,’ and knowing I’d been able to make a difference was so emotional. For us, the money we receive through gifts in wills means the difference between being able to deliver great work, and exceptional work.”
With three million people living with cancer in the UK – a figure that’s predicted to rise to four million by 2030 – Macmillan’s work is more important than ever.
We spoke to three Macmillan professionals who will do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer, and whose inspiring work is helped by the generosity of people who have left a gift in their will.
I generally describe my job as being a Jack of all trades: anyone can walk into my drop-in centre, from patients, their relatives and their carers to people worried they might have cancer. They can ask me absolutely anything. My job is to listen, unpick their fears, and point them in the right direction.
It could be a patient with questions about their finances or pain relief, a person who doesn’t know how to tell their children about cancer, or someone trying to decipher a doctor’s letter. We also see carers who are worried about organising things such as physiotherapy and wheelchairs for loved ones, and I’ll reassure them that Macmillan nurses are there to help.
My job is very satisfying, but often gets quite emotional – I’ll get a call from someone who feels depressed, or a patient will sit with me and cry for hours. As a Macmillan professional, I can take as long over a conversation as it needs to, which is one of the lovely things about my job.
Often, I can help turn the chat towards something positive, and we’ll find ourselves having a laugh about wig fittings, or even a patient’s choice of funeral song. They’ll come in crying and leave with a smile on their face, which is what keeps me going.
I have a background in nursing, but I sometimes think Macmillan picked me rather than the other way around. While my job involves a lot of responsibility, it’s a privilege to hear people’s stories, and an honour to be a part of Macmillan’s work.
One of the phrases in cancer medicine I hate is, ‘There’s nothing more we can do for you.’ Because there’s always something we can do for you. Even if I can't wave a magic wand and make a person’s cancer go away, I can help make their life a bit better.
By the end of 2022 Macmillan had...
When I was 12 years old, Dad had cancer, and a lovely nurse called Eileen looked after him. She just exuded kindness – I’ll never forget a moment when Dad was at the end of his life, and Eileen just sat and held Mum’s hand. Now, as a Macmillan nurse, I carry her with me, and get to experience moments like that in my own career.
I spend time with cancer patients through every step of their journey, from the wait for a diagnosis, right through to the end of treatment and the five-year all-clear – or through palliative care if their cancer is incurable.
At our first appointment, I’ll try to get a complete picture of a patient’s life: do they have friends and family close by, and can they rely on them for help? Because often, it turns out I’m the only person supporting them through their treatment.
One of the things I love about working for Macmillan is that we get to engage with our communities. As well as my day-to-day role, I’m a clinical advisor on the Torbay Equity Project, which examines and addresses inequalities in health care and access to cancer services. For example, how do we support people who can’t afford the bus to get to hospital for treatment and ensure that there is equity in accessing services for the communities we serve?
Macmillan is really leading the way in reaching out to those communities, but the thing I enjoy most about my job is still those small, special moments we share with patients. Sometimes, all you can do is hug someone or hold their hand – and that, to me, is the most important part of my job. They’re the golden threads you never forget.
A cancer diagnosis leaves people an average of £891 a month worse off, because of additional costs such as travelling to hospital or buying specialist foods, and my job is to deliver a holistic welfare advice service to cancer patients, their families and their carers.
Our aim is to make life a little bit easier for cancer patients on their journey, which could mean helping them to apply for benefits or grants, making sure they know their rights at work, or putting them in touch with community support, such as occupational therapy.
Every patient is special, but a few are particularly memorable. One had sadly received a terminal diagnosis, and hadn't seen her family in Ireland for over 20 years. We were able to find a specialist grant so she could fly to Ireland and spend a quality week with her family. It wasn't a huge amount of money, but it meant the world to her, as it gave her the closure she needed.
Everybody is entitled to a good life and a good death, and if we can make sure a patient’s finances aren’t a worry, they can concentrate on all the other aspects of their life in their final days. We don’t want people to have to fret about whether they’re going to be able to heat their homes, or use the gas to cook a meal.
I’ve experienced cancer twice, and have used Macmillan’s information services myself, so it feels amazing to be working for an organisation that makes such a difference to people’s lives. I know a few patients who have chosen to leave gifts in their wills to Macmillan, because of the care they received from us, and it’s wonderful to know our support has inspired them to help others.
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Project Manager: Michelle Birbeck, Writer: Rosie Mullender, Commissioning editor: Jim Bruce-Ball, Photography: Gemma Day and Gareth Iwan Jones, Sub editor: Tim Cumming and Viv Watts, Video and Photography Manger: Alex Kelly, Designer: Victoria Griffiths, Illustrator: Rune Fisker, Web editor: Ross Thomas
2 million
people living with cancer are estimated to have received support from Macmillan services in 2022
If you or someone you know has been affected by cancer, Macmillan is there to help. Visit their website or call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 0000 (8am-8pm).
‘I can’t make cancer go away – but I can make patients’ lives better’
Wendy Marchant, 58, is an information manager at the North Norfolk Macmillan Cancer Support Centre in Cromer
Fahida Rehman, 48, is the Macmillan lead head and neck/thyroid cancer clinical nurse specialist at Torbay Hospital
‘You never forget those small, special moments’
730,000
people received person-to-person support from one or more Macmillan Professionals or services in 2022
approximately
Bhavani Sarma, 51, is the senior Macmillan welfare benefits adviser at Central Bedfordshire Council
‘Everybody is entitled to a good life, and a good death’
Gifts in wills fund over a third of Macmillan Cancer Support’s vital work supporting people living with cancer, and leaving a gift in your will could help fund the incredible work of the charity’s everyday heroes. Order your free Gifts in Wills guide from the Macmillan website or call them on 0300 1000 200 to find out more.
What's your legacy?
