Shropshire support group getting men to open up about living with cancer
Men are diagnosed with over half of cancers in the UK, according to charity 'Maggies'
A support group in Shropshire told us how they get men to open up about living with cancer, as figures suggest men are less likely than women to seek support.
Despite men being diagnosed with just over half of cancers in the UK, only 36% of people who seek help at Maggie's cancer support centres are men, the charity said.
What is 'Men Like Us'?
Graham Cheshire is a cancer survivor and was asked by his local NHS to set up a support group for men facing cancer.
He called it 'Men Like Us' and 12 months later has groups across Telford, Ludlow and Shrewsbury.
"I wish I had someone to talk to"
The group meet monthly to chat about anything on their mind. Graham said it's something he wished he had when he was faced with stomach cancer:
"It was nearly 11 years ago that I had my diagnosis. I have been monitored to the point I am off all of the lists. However, I did leave with that legacy that I wish I had someone to talk to.
"Sometimes I just wanted to take someone to one side and tell them I was angry and hurting.
"You do not want to do that to your nearest and dearest because they are devoting their lives to supporting you," he said.
Why don't men seek support when they have cancer?
Charity Maggie's said men are less likely to seek support with their cancer than women, and that more than a third of men who do are facing an incurable diagnosis.
The charity said this suggests that men are "more reticent and waiting until they are in desperate need".
A recent online survey by the charity of 500 men living with cancer found that 42% had not asked for support.
One in five (21%) said they did not want to talk about their feelings and 14% said they felt "too embarrassed" to ask for help.
"Too many men are not seeking the support they deserve"
Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie's, said: Too many men are not seeking the support they deserve.
"Of those that do come to us, many are only doing so when their situation becomes desperate and they are faced with an incurable diagnosis," she said.