Blood cancer, friends and social life

It can be difficult to tell people you have blood cancer, especially when you can hardly believe it yourself. And with everyone wanting to know how you're doing, you might want to make things easier on yourself.

Here are some ideas on how to share the news:

1. Choose one friend as your "information person" who will pass on any updates to others.
2. Give your friends information about the type of blood cancer you have so you don't have to keep explaining it over and over again.
3. Share your news via videos or blogs. You don't have to make them public unless you want to - just send them to a few close friends.

In the video below, Hinna and Jamie explain how they told their own friends about their diagnosis:

Cancer doesn’t mean the end of your friendships, in fact, you’ll probably need your friends’ support more than ever. But you may need to explain how things will change for you – at least for a while. Here's some more information on what to expect.

You might feel very tired

Blood cancer has a big impact on your body and your mind. You’ll often feel very tired (fatigue) and this can last for a few months after treatment has finished.

You might not be able to handle as much alcohol as before or stay up as late.

Try to explain this to your friends so they don’t feel disappointed if you’re not the party animal you once were.

Plans might have to change

You might struggle to be as sociable as before. It might be harder to be spontaneous, but also tricky to plan ahead.

Let your friends know that you need to pace yourself, and that they shouldn't take it personally if you have to cancel last minute.

In the video below, Jamie, Emily, Hinna and Leanne talk about how their own social lives changed:

At times, blood cancer can totally take over your life, and leave little time or head space to think about anything else. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only topic you want to talk about.

In fact, you’ll probably be glad to talk about anything but cancer for a change. So make it clear to your friends that you still want to hear what's going on in their lives.

In the video below, Jamie, Emily, Hinna and Leanne talk about how they stayed connected with their friends.