Sipping my drink, I looked around the huddles of my family and friends, all chatting and laughing.
Weddings were always such a lovely occasion but today, I felt a little on edge.
‘So lovely to see you, Bep,’ a family friend beamed. ‘Your hair looks different.’ (more…)
Cancer - it's reach is immense. This past year, I've seen its impact personally on my body, when I was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour in my bowel in June 2022. 9 rounds of immunotherapy later, a bowel resection, numerous scans and the emotional turmoil of a 3rd diagnosis.......and here I am.
Now actively involved in
- Leading a campaign around Kindness and Cancer - due to the lack of emotional support available for patients, their families and our doctors and nurses
- Providing the patient voice in Panels exploring Cancer research in a more representative sample of our communities
- A passionate advocate for raising body awareness to detect and report anything that doesn't feel right, alongside regular self-examination
- Bringing the patient voice to various community forums
- A volunteer with Sakoon through cancer, raising awareness and providing support for the South Asian community
- A volunteer with My Cancer My Choices, a charity in Berkshire that provides alternative therapies to counteract the side effects of harsh treatment
- Empowering people to be more proactive with their health choices and creating a resilient life in which they thrive today and everyday #surviveorthrive365
- A member of the Health Collective, bringing my voice to advocate and support the Wellbeing of Women
Why am I so passionate about this?
Because I didn't know how body aware I needed to be to have the best health outcomes personally for me.
Even though each of my cancers has been picked up by me, through various changes; Each time I visited the doctor I was told it was highly unlikely to be anything sinister, so I wasn't rushed for tests.
Because when Cancer awareness was advertised, no one looked like me in the adverts, so I didn't relate it to something I needed to be more tuned into.
And with my advocacy I work it breaks my heart when I hear of this being a common response and in too many cases, there is a late diagnosis and as a result there are limited options for cure.
I see the fear and stigma attached to Cancer, that prevents people from self-examination, attending screenings and the impact of not being taken seriously when we have the courage to ask questions.
The lack of emotional support available for all - patients, their families, nurses, doctors, support staff - the impact of this is huge and lasts long after a diagnosis and has many repercussions.
We have a huge Health equity challenge and it's humbling to hear the challenges we face, not only as women, but as black/brown women, who have cultural challenges to navigate surrounding women's health, poorer outcomes often due to late diagnosis and not enough research done on the impact of treatment on our bodies. We're all different and this is not considered when research is being undertaken.
The majority of us want to feel that we living in a fair, equitable way, feeling able to ask for care in a timely, clear, supportive way. Feeling that your voice is heard, you are valued and you feel safe and supported to address any concerns you have, and sadly this isn't the case.
We all have our own story and we all want to live the best life we can. We want to write our story feeling a sense of control on the choices we made & to know the systems around us support us in the best way possible. We need this to make sense of our world.
The more awareness we all create through normalising the conversation in our families, friendship circles and with work colleagues, the more lives we can collectively save.
So, let's work together to create a life in which we all thrive, let's advocate for each other, take one another on the journey, so we can improve health outcomes for all and so Cancer outcomes in our communities improve and all the people we have lost to cancer haven't died without changing the dialogue around cancer.
If you would like to know more about the health inequalities, follow the following organisations who are determined to drive change:
https://www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk/
https://www.blackwomenrisinguk.org/
https://sakoonthroughcancer.org/
https://www.kindnessvscancer.co.uk
Instagram - South Asian Supernovas
DEAR AUNTIJI - DO YOU KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER?
We know that South Asian communities struggle to talk openly about Breast Cancer and also acknowledge how culturally, it can feel a bit awkward to have these chats with your loved ones, particularly with those in the older generations.
Over 40% of our community don’t self-check regularly, and 30% don’t attend or know about breast screening programs. This leads to later diagnosis and poorer outcomes with increased mortality from breast cancer in the South Asian community. Kreena and Toral set up the South Asian Supernovas to raise awareness of breast cancer, self-checking and routine screening to ensure we are diagnosed earlier which means to improved treatment and outcomes.
So to help break the ice, the South Asian Supernovas have created this campaign to help you to have these important conversations. Our aim is to ensure that you, your Auntiji, Masiji, Mamiji, whoever really - sees the faces that they can resonate with, hear the voices that they trust and learn more about this disease in a way that works for our community.
South Asians form the largest ethnic minority community in the UK and we think it's about time that our voices are heard and our faces are seen.
We know that you don't want to sit and watch videos of women in bras and underwear with your elders when it comes to Breast Cancer - so here we are - Fully clothed, reminding you of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, the importance of routine screening and self-checking, and how knowing your normal could just save your life.
We know the power of our family Whatsapp groups and would love for you to share this campaign and video with them. Please paste this post into your family WhatsApp group and together lets start a movement where we can save the lives of the people we love.