Macmillan Fundraising Heroes – Thank You!

As we came towards the end of our first year working with Macmillan Cancer Support, we put out a call on our social media for people to share their fundraising stories for Macmillan. We were delighted to receive an email from Rona Mackay. She gave us permission to share her story and kind words so please read on…

“Where to begin? It all started with a personal challenge to get moving safely. As a person who suffers chronic pain, swimming is a safe way for me to exercise, and cold water has many benefits, not least in terms of pain management. So, I began open water swimming in January 2024, and signed up for all three Go Swim challenges, identifying the motivator I was needing to keep swimming.

At a later point, my work in adult health and social care put me in direct contact with Macmillan nurses, and the work they do with people in our communities who have a condition which could end their lives, a journey i understand now affects 1 in 2 in the UK (that’s a terrifying statistic).

Shortly after this encounter, a close friend told me they had cancer. We are 40, it was mind-blowing, we’d hardly grown up really. I thought of them in every training swim. If I can get my carcass in the water, train and complete 3 events, I know they can beat the big C, because they’ve always been stronger than me. They wanted to keep their journey quiet, and I felt reassured to learn that Macmillan Cancer Support coordinate a buddy system, so no one is ever alone on their journey, even if they want to maintain privacy too.

I raised £250 and made friends along the way. People often ask about my loch swimming and if I’ll keep it up. Well, I have, and I will. It’s empowering to feel more in control of chronic pain which ran rings round me for a long time, and being able to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support made it feel like even more of an accomplishment.

Thank you to the organisers for making these events as inclusive, accessible and achievable as they are. I’m sure they have an idea of how life-changing their efforts can be, and this is a thank you from me for being part of my journey.”

Thanks to Rona for sharing her story. If you feel inspired to fundraise for Macmillan, then find out more here.