How Macmillan’s Holistic Needs Assessment helped Siobhan during breast cancer and redundancy

Story
Published: 01 May 2025
Siobhan was diagnosed with breast cancer at 58. At the same time, she was being made redundant and her life felt more uncertain than ever. She received support from Macmillan’s Holistic Needs Assessment to help her navigate her cancer journey.   

Navigating breast cancer and bipolar: how Siobhan found strength after diagnosis

A close-up of a woman looking at the camera. She is sitting on a sofa at home.

Based in Dundee and living with her poodle, Siobhan was made redundant and on the day of her last pay cheque she discovered a lump in her breast. At the end of her academic career, living alone with no income, she lost her identity and self-confidence, and was deeply frightened by the future.

Siobhan was first diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2019. She says that her cancer diagnosis unexpectedly helped her find faith in the future and strength of purpose. Siobhan has bipolar disorder, which must be carefully controlled by medication. Dealing with cancer gave her a feeling of control about her health for the first time in her life. This was because Siobhan was also navigating her breast cancer diagnosis as a person with bipolar, a lifelong illness that impacts a person’s mood.  

Siobhan is sharing her story as part of our Whoever You Are campaign. 

“I found myself equal to the task ahead, with an identity, ‘a person with cancer,’ with a job to do… get better.”

How Macmillan helped Siobhan through a difficult time after her breast cancer treatment

“I discovered I didn’t have to figure everything out by myself – Macmillan was at my side."

Post-surgery for her breast cancer, Siobhan experienced an 18-month long bipolar episode brought on by her cancer treatment after radiotherapy. Siobhan shared that this created an extremely low period for her, “I came the closest I have ever been to committing suicide. My little poodle was my only reason for fighting to stay alive.” 

Fortunately, Siobhan received support from Macmillan through a Holistic Needs Assessment, as part of the Improving Cancer Journey programme in Dundee. She was able to get support with navigating the benefits system and advice on how to manage her mortgage. 

“I discovered I didn’t have to figure everything out by myself – Macmillan was at my side. They identified my needs and addressed them.” 

If you are worried about money and cancer you can read our information about benefits and financial support. You can also contact our Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 or by online chat. Our specialist Money advisers are available Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

A woman is sitting on her sofa at home looking at the camera.

How Siobhan is using her experience of cancer and mental illness to help improve care for others 

 

Siobhan’s cancer has gone and she is now recovering from her bipolar episode while supporting others to engage with Macmillan in her local area and beyond.  

Siobhan has also been involved in developing services for people living with cancer who also have mental health conditions, either as a result of their cancer or as a pre-existing condition. She describes using her experience to help others in this way as “life-affirming”.  

She says: “Although I am no longer teaching, I can still help people to understand, only now I have a new subject. I want to raise awareness of the complexities of treating both cancer and mental illness. My treatment experience would have been so much better if there had been knowledge and understanding of both conditions.”

We’re committed to working with people with lived experience, like Siobhan, to transform care for people with cancer and other long term health conditions, to get them the joined-up care they need.  

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