At 2.17pm on the 14th of July, Mike was diagnosed with cancer.

Life seemed to lose its colour.

He spoke to Zoë, an old friend of his.

She told him about some of the support available and suggested he join the Macmillan online community.

Mike was never the most computer-savvy person, but thought he’d have a look anyway.

He started off by searching for day-to-day advice.

He read posts left by people who had been affected by cancer and blogs written by health care professionals.

He began sharing his own thoughts, and was pleasantly surprised when he started getting replies from other community members.

Over time, Mike built up a network of people that he talked to on the site

After reading his friend Julia’s blog, Mike joined a welfare reform campaign Macmillan were involved in.

He put his name to an e-petition and encouraged others to do the same.

Every once in a while he met up with his new found friends.

They chat over a cup of coffee, sharing their experiences and feelings.

In September Mike received a message from Tom and Sarah, a couple of his community friends,

about a sponsored walk they were doing across Hadrian’s Wall.

This got him thinking about arranging a fundraising even of his own.

Mike had an idea.

He got together with a number of other Community members and organised a charity auction.

They used the Online Community to plan everything, from the venue to the items being auctioned.

It turned out to be a real success.

Life goes on for Mike and , while it isn’t always easy,

it’s a lot more colourful now he has Macmillan in his corner

Facing cancer is tough. That’s why the Macmillan team is here to support you every step of the way.

Join now and help our community grow.