A group of people from Greater Manchester who have all cared for loved ones going through cancer have written and recorded a new audio story called “With Dad” to demonstrate the emotional, practical and often unseen realities of caring for someone with cancer.
Carer representatives from the Greater Manchester Cancer Voices community have worked on the new audio story to help raise awareness of the role of carers in caring for cancer patients.
The carer representatives, who are members of the Greater Manchester Cancer Voices Community, teamed up with Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance and Made By Mortals to write, record and produce the audio project.
It follows the life of fictional character Heather, a woman from Manchester caring for her father who has cancer. She is compassionate, strong and resilient. But like many other carers, she just needs a little help with Dad.
The audio story will be used as a resource to show some of the challenges carers face. By sharing this widely, we hope it helps carers to feel seen, and healthcare professionals to reflect on how they can better support carers.
Rebecca Finley, User Involvement Manager at Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, worked on the project with five carer representatives who have supported a wife, husband or parent with cancer.
She said: “The experiences of our carer representatives are really powerful to hear.
“We hope by shining a spotlight on their experiences, we can help more people and healthcare professionals understand the emotional and practical load carried by carers every day.”
Each carer’s experience is unique, yet their stories cross paths in powerful and relatable ways — reflecting the World Cancer Day 2026 theme United by Unique. The audio was facilitated, co‑created and recorded by Made by Mortals.
One patient carer who took part was Stuart Kohler, 63, from Standish, in Wigan, who was a carer for his wife Gill when she was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer – also known as cancer of the foodpipe – three years ago. Gill, a retired primary school assistant headteacher, underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, an operation to remove the cancer, as well as immunotherapy.
She has now regained her strength, joined a Pilates class and is enjoying lots of holidays.
Stuart said: “Caring for Gill was a privilege, but it was also very tough at times for her and for me.
“I wanted to take part in this project to assure other carers that they are not alone in experiencing the multitude of emotions they will feel whilst caring for their loved one. It is also an innovative way to make family and friends aware of the impact cancer has on loved ones who become carers, as well on the patients. ”
Other carers who took part were: Dorothy, Wendy, Stephen and Mary
Listen now to hear about the complexities of supporting a loved one through cancer.
