Telling lived experiences of cancer - World Cancer Day 2026

Ian Sanders with filmmaker Charles Sharman-Cox outside the BFI, 5th February 2026

“When we tell stories of our lived experiences with cancer, we make the invisible visible.”

That’s what I told the small audience at the British Film Institute last Thursday evening. We’d gathered in a basement screening room for a special World Cancer Day screening of the documentary 'Walk with Open Eyes' made by my friend Charles Sharman-Cox.

Charles made the film in 2024 as I navigated my cancer journey whilst preparing for my one man show ‘Wake-Up: ten stories on being alive.’

I know it’s really important we tell our stories of lived experiences with cancer. Living with long term illness can feel invisible and when we tell our stories it makes these experiences visible. In sharing our stories we can build empathy and awareness, and it gives others the courage to share their stories too.

The theme for Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)'s World Cancer Day, which was on 4th February, is ‘United by Unique’ - placing people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation.

You can watch the documentary below: