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We want to help as many people as possible during their cancer experience – patients, carers, families and communities. A great way of doing this is by raising awareness of what we do in national newspapers, magazines, on TV and in the local press we can reach more people.

We rely on personal stories to help us do this as they engage the reader and bring the story to life. For example, if we provide research for a newspaper showing that cancer can affect people financially, it has more of an impact if it’s accompanied by an emotive quote or story of someone who has been directly affected.

Your story can inspire people to take action, maybe encouraging those who see it to get help if they are worried they have the symptoms of cancer, or inspiring them to donate or fundraise for us. Some people who’ve shared their story find it a really cathartic and helpful experience. It makes them feel good to give something back.

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If you are interested in sharing your story, all you need to do is send us a summary of your story along with your name, contact details and a recent photo to storiesteam@macmillan.org.uk. A member of the friendly stories team will be in touch if there’s an opportunity we think you’d be perfect for.

If you have a story that we think will be of interest to the media, a member of the press team will get in touch to explain the process of sharing your story and answer any questions you might have. They will ask you a few questions to find out more about your story and may ask you to send over some more recent photos.

If you want to go ahead, the press officer will approach journalists with your story and try to secure you a slot in a magazine, newspaper or on TV. If you are happy to appear in that media, with your permission we’ll pass on your contact details to the journalist who will arrange to interview you, usually by telephone. We regret that we won’t be able to respond to everyone who emails us but really appreciate you getting in touch.

We use stories throughout our work, from fundraising appeals to cancer information materials to social media posts. We will always let you know how we’d like to share your story, and we will only do so if you are totally comfortable.

We also work with a range of media from broadcasters like the BBC, national newspapers like The Times, Daily Mail and Guardian and women’s magazines like Woman’s Own and Good Housekeeping.

They all have different requirements for their stories so we would approach those which we think are most appropriate, depending on your story. You will always have our full support when there’s an opportunity to share your story with the media.

There are some opportunities where your story can be anonymised, but it’s always much more powerful and engaging when people can see the storyteller behind the experience.

In any of Macmillan’s work that shared your story, we will always work with you to make sure that you feel your story is being represented in an authentic and appropriate way.

We’ll share with you any content that your story appears in and will let you know what impact it’s had. If you’re happy and give us your consent, we’ll store your contact details and story in our database, and will be in touch with future opportunities that might be relevant to you.

If your story was shared in the media, the journalist should tell you when your story will appear so you can get a copy and tell all your friends. We’ll also try our best to get this for you. We will also ask the journalists to include information about Macmillan Cancer Support’s campaigns and services and you can feel proud that you’ve helped deliver our message.

Red blood cells contain haemoglobin (Hb), which carries oxygen from your lungs to all the cells in your body.

Platelets are very small cells that help blood to clot, and prevent bleeding and bruising.

White blood cells fight and prevent infection. There are several types of white blood cell. The two most important types are neutrophils and lymphocytes.