Macmillan Built A House. We Filled It With Grief And Truth

Black men are dying of cancer in silence. So we took a room full of dads, sons and survivors and built the most honest conversation they’ve ever had.

This episode was recorded at Macmillan’s Open House, a home built to feel like the houses that raised us: soft light, old portraits, kettle on the stove, carpet holding the memories of every step. Into that house we brought a live conversation on men, fatherhood and grief.

Marvyn Harrison is joined by:

– Ibrahim Kamara, whose dad died of cancer on his birthday while he was locked alone in a Covid hotel

– Paul Campbell, who was denied treatment, diagnosed in the same year as his brother and sister, and watched his father die from prostate cancer

– Host and facilitator Ruben Christian, unpacking identity, masculinity and the cost of being “the strong one”

Inside this episode:

– The Black dad who had to fight his GP just to get tested

– Why three siblings were all diagnosed with cancer in the same year

– How a father hid his diagnosis from ten children and made one son carry the secret alone

– Men explaining what grief actually feels like inside the body

– The quiet ways race, culture and masculinity shape how we ignore symptoms

– What good men actually need from their partners, friends and community

– Why checkups aren’t a verdict, they’re a lifeline and a second chance

The episode closes with “White Smiles”, an original song written about a dream of a father who finally returns smiling, with new teeth and no pain. Listen grounded, eyes closed if you can.

If you love a Black man, live with one, are raising one or are one, this is the episode you send.

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