Blood Cancer Awareness Month starts today, and this year our campaign is called ‘Here for This’.
It’s about the moments that matter: the milestones, memories and everyday experiences that can mean so much more when blood cancer has touched your life.
Throughout September, we’d love you to share a photo or video finishing one (or both!) of these sentences:
‘I didn’t think I’d be here for…’
‘I hope I’ll be here for…’
Maybe it’s a wedding, a holiday, a graduation, a family milestone, or simply an ordinary moment you no longer take for granted. Whatever your moment, we’d love to see it and hear your story.
A couple of things to know before you share:
You’re welcome to share more than one moment if you have several that matter to you.
If your post looks like a great fit for the wider Blood Cancer Awareness Month campaign, we may send you a private message to ask whether you’d be happy for it to be shared more widely (for example, on our social media). There’s no pressure at all, and we’ll always ask first.
Thank you for being part of our community, and for helping us raise awareness of blood cancer this September. We can’t wait to see your moments
______________
Click here for details on how to share a photo or video on the forum
How to share a photo on the forum
Find or take the photo you want to share.
Come back to this thread and click ‘Reply’
Click the upload icon (it looks like a little arrow above a rectangle icon in the toolbar above where you type) and select your photo from where you saved it.
Once the picture is in place, add your words to the post to finish the prompt, and hit Reply to post. Done!
How to share a video on the forum
Upload your video to somewhere like YouTube or Vimeo first. If you’d rather it wasn’t public, both let you set videos to “unlisted”, meaning only people with the link can see it.
Copy the video link from the address bar or the video share button.
Come back to this thread and click ‘Reply’
Paste the link straight into your reply on this thread, along with your words. The forum will usually turn it into a playable video automatically.
Hello @Ceri_BloodCancerUK I realise this photo isn’t exactly what you were asking for but it’s a piece of artwork I created to illustrate how I felt after my blood cancer diagnosis. I felt the bridge to my future had been destroyed by a storm and I no longer had a future!
However gradually I realised this wasn’t true. The pile of stones in my picture represents a cairn. Each stone is like a marker or a reminder of how far I have come and all the support I have been given plus the lessons I have learned. The stones can become stepping stones. I thought I needed the bridge but actually the stones provide an alternative route to cross the river.
I have lived with a blood cancer for many years and it has taken me a long time to come to this realisation. Mental health support in the form of Counselling has helped me to process all this. Hope it makes sense and encourages others. Willow x
What a beautiful location @DuncanB! I must confess to being a little jealous but it’s lovely to see you there and to hear your encouraging and hopeful words - thanks for sharing. Willow x
When I was waiting for my diagnosis, I was in bits and to steady myself I made this collage. Am a great collage afficionado as I find the thoughtful playfulness of it helps me so much… I’ve also run collage groups in the community, would like to do more of that…
Anyhow, this collage remains significant to me. I am depicted in the centre trying to be calm in my yoga pose, my knee touching a leaf that represents my heart. I was hoping it would keep on beating. An oak leaf representing strength flutters beside me. Around me is a ticking clock (time to getting my results), various totem animals and some shiny cherries (my favourite fruit but also because I had to have faith that life is just a bowl of… and there would me more cherries in my future). The eggs represent the ‘rebirth’ that I am hoping will come… I was in a terrible state as simply knew that my blood numbers were ‘haywire’ and I had lost my oldest friend to acute leukaemia in 2021; she was only 58 and I was 59 when I made this picture.
So, I didnt think I would be here sharing this two years later… and I hope to be here to run more collage groups in the community!
Love your picture @Willow, it’s really profound, thank you so much sharing it. And a treat to SEE you, @DuncanB. Glorious beach… takes me back to the Hebrides
Thank you for your kind words @DuncanB. I have actually found it helpful revisiting my artwork again. I produced it about five years ago but it has inspired me to write this new poem …
Thank you @Leigh65 for your kind words but more importantly thank you so much for sharing your amazing collage! It is stunning and so meaningful. I really appreciate you explaining each component and why it has been included. I am learning more and more the value of this forum. Only those of us who have regrettably experienced blood cancer in one way or another can truly understand what it’s like. Thank you so much for sharing. I wish I could join one of your community collage groups! Willow x
I didn’t think I’d be here for…..the South of France!
My feet enjoying the sun in the wonderful Cote D’Azur. Having been supporting my husband since his Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia ('Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia ('CMML')') diagnosis in October 2024. He has had such an incredibly hard time since diagnosis, with so many other health conditions being diagnosed. I’m so very proud of him & so very grateful for all the continued support we both receive from our wonderful blood cancer uk family. We really didn’t think we’d get to go on holiday this year but we made it! Met our son, swam in the sea, ate gorgeous food & it was all such a tonic. So very grateful
Love this! @leigh65 I trained in textile design & collaging is my favourite thing to do! Just need to find more time to do some! Thankyou for the inspiration!
I trained in textile design & collaging is my favourite thing to do! Just need to find more time to do some! Thankyou for the inspiration! 