Meet FBC Volunteer Laura MacKenzie
Patient Advocate and bladder cancer patient
Laura has been passionate about self-advocating and advocating for others living with bladder cancer or stomas, since her diagnosis with stage 4 muscle invasive bladder cancer in 2017.
Laura has 20 years’ of experience in project management and service delivery within the IT sector. As a Fight Bladder Cancer Volunteer she is involved in several initiatives to raise awareness of bladder cancer. Laura lives in the West of Scotland with her husband and works full-time as a Global Service Delivery Manager.
She was diagnosed with stage 4 bladder muscle invasive squamous cell carcinoma bladder cancer in 2017. With two weeks to live at the time of surgery, she had a total pelvic exenteration surgery to save her life. This left her with two permanent ostomies, a colostomy and a urostomy. She is currently over 5 years clear of cancer.
When she is not working or volunteering, she can be found cooking up a storm in the kitchen or on a far-flung beach in the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean.
She has been nominated as an Advocacy Trailblazer for the Social Health Awards, and you can follow her adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
“Laura has worked so hard to smash the stigma attached to having a stoma. Laura has given practical advice/ support to others living with a stoma. Laura is an inspiration that having 2 stomas is not a barrier and shows how she continues to enjoy life to the full, despite her stomas.” — Clare Waddell
Stuart McMillan MSP joined Laura MacKenzie, a local ambassador for Fight Bladder Cancer, at the Shipbuilder’s Statue in Port Glasgow to mark Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. Laura who is from Wemyss Bay and known as ‘2 Bags for Life’ on social media, contacted Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce to organise for the landmark to be lit up orange for the month of May to help raise awareness of bladder cancer.
You can get in touch with Laura at
