Angela Chan
Professor, Royal Holloway University
Lucy Richards
Legacy Promotions Officer, Macmillan Cancer Support
University professor, artist, singer and mother of three, Angela thought cancer was behind her.
Her mother had lived with the disease for 30 years. Five years after recovering from breast cancer, a devastating hospital visit in 2025 suggested that Angela likely had late-stage lung cancer.
Following months of uncertainty, biopsy results corrected her diagnosis to secondary breast cancer, which had spread
to her lungs and bones. Although a better prognosis than expected, Angela still had to navigate lengthy treatmen
A lighthouse to help navigate cancer
Amidst the distress and confusion, Angela found comfort through Macmillan Cancer Support. The charity offered a
space to talk and practical information to help her through the next steps. Its services are made possible by generous
donations, including gifts in wills.
Her connection to Macmillan started with her Cancer Nurse Specialist, Mark, who guided her following hospital appointments. “Mark told me about the Macmillan services that were available to me — booklets on telling the kids, my rights at work, how to access mental health support — I felt like I was drowning under black waves, and it was like
he arrived with a lifeboat. If he was the lifeboat, Macmillan was the lighthouse.” Angela also found practical advice on
Macmillan’s Support Line, where trained advisors helped to fill the gaps between appointments.
I felt like I was drowning under black waves,
and it was like he arrived with a lifeboat
Feeling good and giving back
Thankfully, Angela responded positively to her treatment. She was also able to use creativity and music as an outlet for
what she was going through. “I used to perform but hadn’t sung jazz for 30 years. I signed up for a course before my
diagnosis. I nearly didn’t go. But my teacher said: ‘Just come on the good days. Rest on the bad ones.’ So, I did. I would
sing the blues through lung biopsies and chemotherapy, and it did me so much good.”
Angela organised a jazz gig where she sang with a live band, fundraising £17,000 for Macmillan and other charities. She performed Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’, a song that captured the sense of hope and joy that music brought her during this time. She says:
“Singing gave me something back. A sense of control. A sense of joy. A way to live inside this experience, not just endure it. A few days before the gig, I found out the treatment was working, and I can tell you: the words to Feeling Good have never felt more appropriate.”
The reality of cancer in the UK
Currently, there are almost 3.5 million people living with cancer in the UK, and that number is growing. Like
Angela, each person diagnosed is navigating a complex healthcare system alongside work, finances, relationships and emotional wellbeing. Cancer can be made even harder because of who you are or where you live.1 Some people face communication barriers, stigma in their community or long journeys to access treatment.
Macmillan is here for every person with cancer in the UK – through diagnosis, treatment and beyond.
Through services like its support line, 24/7 Online Community and local partnerships, Macmillan is helping make cancer care fairer for everyone.
Gifts in wills make this support possible, funding over a third of Macmillan services. After looking after the people closest to you, leaving a percentage of your estate to the charity is a powerful way to help Macmillan be the lighthouse for other people facing cancer in years to co
Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.
To learn more, order a free Gifts in Wills guide: macmillan.org.uk/lastinglegacy
[1] Macmillan Cancer Support. Cancer prevalence. tinyurl.com/422zzk4d
