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Living with cancer

It’s very likely that cancer has affected you or someone you know.

One in two people in the UK alone will develop some type of cancer in their lifetime. While doctors and scientists work on effective treatments, we’re supporting our community by relieving the pressures that often come with a cancer diagnosis.

Mental health and wellbeing

A cancer diagnosis is often a shock to the system, making it difficult to cope with everyday life. Taking good care of your mental health will make a big difference to you and those closest to you.

  • Anxiety is a common response to life-changing news. We work in partnership with experts at Anxiety UK to offer the level of support that’s right for you.
  • Sometimes an outside perspective can really make a difference. That's why we offer funding for counselling and therapy, to help you talk things through.

Financial impact

The average extra cost for a person with cancer is £570 per month, according to Macmillan. This could go towards hospital travel, home adaptations or dental care among others.

  • Our financial support could give you breathing room while you make a plan for the future. We could help with bills, cover travel costs or fund private healthcare if the NHS delays are too long.
  • Legal advice may not be at the top of your list when living with cancer. But our legal team could help with work-related issues, family matters and financial law.

Support for those around you

A cancer diagnosis is devastating for the patient. But it can also affect the people around them – family, close friends and carers. Our support extends to those closest to our community members too. 

  • If you’re a carer for someone with a cancer diagnosis, we may be able to fund a break and pay for someone to take over while you’re gone.
  • Our care and disability funding could pay for home adaptations or special equipment like wigs or prosthetics to increase the quality of life.
Alan overcoming illness
The financial support has alleviated so many problems for us. I can’t express how much it helped - it’s enabled us to live a life. Alan Monelle View story Read quote by Alan Monelle

Two new ways to support Foothold’s work – legacies and lottery

We know that our community is diverse, so we've expanded the ways in which you can support Foothold's work (charity lottery and legacy gifts)

An infographic showing figures from the impact report on a red background, with an image of two people smiling and embracing, embedded in a computer screen frame

Our 2023-24 Impact Report is now live

We know that our community is diverse, so we've expanded the ways in which you can support Foothold's work (charity lottery and legacy gifts)

smiley charity film awards finalist banner with yellow smiley face logo and a photo of Mikaela smiling next to the quote "it felt like a moral failing"

Smiley Charity Film Awards Finalists 2025

Foothold is proud to have been recognised at the 2025 Smiley Charity Film awards for our interview with Mikaela, sharing her ADHD awareness story