CancerBae

Challenging cancer stigma. Empowering lived experience. Changing the conversation through sport, creativity, and community. Too often, cancer is talked about in ways that erase the complexity of living with it, awkward silences, exaggerated positivity, or the assumption that you're either fighting or failing. At CancerBae CIC, we challenge that. We build spaces where people feel seen, not pitied. Supported, not silenced. Founded by former professional basketball player Will Wise, now living with stage four cancer, we are a lived-experience-led not-for-profit using sport, wellbeing, and creativity to shift public narratives around cancer and build new spaces for connection and resilience. Because living with cancer isn’t just about ‘fighting’ it. It’s about living well, with honesty, connection, and the freedom to show up as your whole self. Our work includes: CancerBae Classic The UK’s first inclusive under-12 basketball tournament, creating early access to elite-level sport for boys, girls, wheelchair users, and children from underserved communities, using basketball as a catalyst for conversations on cancer and resilience. CancerBae Retreat A holistic wellbeing retreat for adults living with cancer, led by lived experience, focused on mental health, identity, and life beyond diagnosis. Community programmes Workshops, peer networks and creative advocacy, amplifying lived experience and building connection. Changing the narrative Challenging silence, shame, and stereotypes, reshaping how cancer is understood across communities. Support our work: 💞Donate: https://gofund.me/f1cd2b59 💞Partner with us, DM to discuss collaboration. 💞Apply to be an ambassador - email: lizzie@cancerbae.com