WELLBEING
Breast cancer survivor Leanne Pero has a powerful message for black women facing treatment
INTERVIEW: KATE LOCKETT. PHOTO: JOHN ANGERSON
Seven years ago, Leanne Pero was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30. But as she went through months of treatment, she realised she had a second battle on her hands: the prejudices she faced as a black woman.
It led to her setting up the support network Black Women Rising, to advocate for all women of colour going through diagnosis and treatment so they didn’t feel alone, as she had.
Now the group supports hundreds of women across the UK, and South Londoner Leanne is an ambassador for the Estée Lauder Breast Cancer Campaign and has been made an MBE.
She has also contributed to the new book From the Margins by research-based biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, sharing her story to raise awareness of health inequality in the UK.
Here, Leanne tells us about overcoming cultural misconceptions around cancer and life after treatment.
Leanne, what was your experience with breast cancer?
“I had a lump on my breast, but the doctors told me I was being paranoid because my mum had recently been diagnosed [with breast cancer] for the second time. ‘You’re probably stressed out. You’re way too young. Don’t worry about it, it’s probably hormonal,’ they said.
“Three months later, the lump was showing through the skin. My massage therapist saw it and urged me to call the doctor. They saw me the same day and this time it was a female doctor. She actually felt it and within 14 days, after various tests, I knew I had breast cancer.
“The reaction from the first people I had to tell wasn’t all sympathetic. There were comments such as: ‘It must be the white gene,’ because my mum is mixed race, or: ‘It’s your drinking,’ because I’m a sociable person.
“One of my friends said: ‘Stress can cause cancer. I think it’s because you’ve been working from a young age.’ There was a religious aspect, too. People said: ‘It can be seen as a curse for things in your past.’
“I thought the best thing was to keep it to myself and I lived in a bubble for eight months. The day after I had my last chemotherapy, I posted on Facebook about what I’d been through and it went viral. Getting such a reaction to something I felt so ashamed of was a beautiful feeling of acceptance.”
Why did you contribute to From the Margins?
“It was really powerful telling my story without a filter, because as a black woman, sometimes people like to silence parts of the story. I’m not just cancer; there’s so much more about me. When you have these illnesses, especially at a young age, they can overpower your life.”
Tell us about the impac
