Touching portraits of cancer pain: Celebrity faces pose with the public to celebrate Macmillan fundraiser

Celebrities and ordinary people, coupled with their experiences with cancer, posed for a series of touching portraits.

Journalist George Alagiah, diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014, is one of the series contributors for the Macmillan Cancer Support charity.

She was photographed with personal trainer Mary Huckle, who was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer that same year.

Actress Sheridan Smith, who lost her relatives from illness, was also photographed with nurse Suad İbrahim, whose father died of cancer.

The series was created by Rankin, who had previously photographed the Queen and Kate Moss, to celebrate the return of the Macmillan Coffee Morning fundraiser.

Mr. Alagiah said, “People always ask me how I deal with this, and that’s the hardest question.

“The initial challenge was to have my cancer diagnosis in my head. Despite having a lot ahead of me, a successful career and a loving family, I knew I was dying.

“I wish I had known earlier how much Macmillan could support me during this experience, but at the end of my life I felt I had to ask for it.”

TV and theater actor Sheridan Smith (right) meets Manchester nurse Suad Ibrahim (left), who both lost loved ones to cancer

Ms Huckle said: “One of the worst things about being diagnosed with cancer was having to tell my loved ones this news. Surge effects are always far-reaching and equally traumatic for them. Many lonely and sleepless nights followed.

Ms Smith added: “Being in contact with others affected by cancer can really help you feel less alone.

“Macmillan’s Coffee Morning is the perfect place for that.”

Things are going badly, and Fleabag actress Kadiff Kirwan, who lost her mother to cancer, also sat down for Rankin alongside former elementary school teacher Chloe Dixon.

Award-winning podcast host and cancer activist Lauren Mahon was photographed with 23-year-old director and TikTok star Shell Rowe, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2019.

Mahon, 37, who introduced You, Me and the Big C to Dame Deborah James and Rachael Bland, who later died of cancer, said, “When I was diagnosed, money was something that totally scared me. For some reason – which I think is quite normal – I thought that I would be taken care of, that there would be a government fund or support that I could apply for.

“I didn’t know there would be statutory sick pay. Before I got my diagnosis, I had moved out of my parents’ house and couldn’t even pay the rent in London – my friends had to raise money to keep me at home.

Actress Kadiff Kirwan, who lost her mother to cancer, sat next to Chloe Dixon, a former primary school teacher who fell ill with blood cancer in 2018.

Award-winning podcast host and cancer activist Lauren Mahon was photographed with 23-year-old director and TikTok star Shell Rowe, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2019.

Data leaked earlier this month showed that more than 10,000 people waited for treatment for three months or more after being referred for suspected cancer.

According to internal data from the NHS, the workload of those waiting 104 days or more at the end of July more than doubled at 10,189 compared to June 2021.

According to Macmillan’s analysis, the total number of people starting cancer treatment in the UK since the start of the pandemic is more than 30,000 more than expected, a figure that hasn’t changed for months.

“The vital funds raised through Coffee Morning this year will be more important than ever before,” said Claire Rowney, Executive Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Innovation at Macmillan Cancer Support. As the number of people living with cancer in the UK is unprecedented and will reach four million by 2030, our services are becoming a vital lifeline for many.

“We depend on the generous donations of our incredible supporters for 98% of our revenue and at this time we are unable to support everyone who needs us.

“A cancer diagnosis can be incredibly frightening, and for many people with cancer, times are more difficult than ever because of the constant interruptions to care and treatment, the rising cost of living, and everything that comes with a diagnosis. Macmillan provides a much-needed safety net for people who don’t know where to look.

The charity is urging the public to sign up to host a coffee morning on September 30 that brings together vital funds.