Speakers

My name is Davina. I am 46 years old, I have a son of 23 and a daughter of 17. I was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer in July 2021. I completed treatment in September 2022. At the time of diagnosis I was exercising regularly, eating a well balanced vegan diet and I was the fittest I had ever been. Cancer does not discriminate. My treatment included twenty weeks of chemotherapy, a lumpectomy and all a full node clearance on the affected side. I then had 4 weeks of radiotherapy. Because I did not get a full response with chemotherapy I received 6 more months of treatment in the form of oral chemotherapy. During my treatment I found Black Women Rising, which is a project that is delivered by the Leanne Pero Foundation. This charity was founded by Leanne Pero who herself was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 30. She established this project in 2019 to address gaps in care for women of colour. The charity delivers bespoke projects including: Coffee mornings Supper clubs Online support groups A bi-yearly magazine An online blog A support line A podcast Black Women Rising has been a lifeline for me and other like me. The support I have received from the project, and the fellow members I have met, inspired me to represent Black Women Rising as a Lived Experience Ambassador. My role as ambassador is to be one of the faces of Black Women Rising, in order to raise awareness of cancer, spread the word and tell my story with the aim of breaking down taboos in our community, empowering other women to be more aware of the symptoms, treatments and aftercare and to feel confident in advocating for themselves. My aim is also to remove the biases that are present for women of colour when it comes to our care and to raise awareness of the lesser-known breast cancer type, triple negative breast cancer, of which one of the risk factors for the disease is being a woman of my ethnicity. Since diagnosis I have been left with some lasting effects but despite this, I try to lead the same healthy lifestyle I did before treatment, placing a lot more emphasis on myself holistically. I have therapy, I practice self-care and love, I prioritise peace and I am learning to say no. Black Women Rising has been instrumental in my recovery and my ongoing journey and I will forever be grateful to Leanne and all the inspirational women the project has given me the opportunity to surround myself with.