On the evening of Wednesday 23rd October, in partnership with the charity Maggie's, we Lifted the Lid on cancer in the BAMER community (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee) in the beautiful surroundings of Maggie’s West London. We welcomed experts and the wider community to hear from an incredible panel of 5 young people about their own experiences, including two of our Young Adult Ambassadors Angel and Saima.

The honesty and candour of our panel shed light on issues, breaking taboos and talking about the lack of awareness in some communities. The discussion touched on religion, superstition, and the lack of representation in the literature of those in the BAMER community living with cancer.

"How are you meant to know about cancer if you don’t see yourself in the images presented to you” Saima Thompson, panel member

It was an incredible evening of learning. The key message from the panel was that it is time to listen and learn to ensure the support offered by both healthcare professionals and charities is inclusive, and takes into account a person’s ethnicity and culture. 

Trekstock will continue to work at a local and national level to influence policy and practice, as well as directly providing services and programmes to improve the outcomes for those in the BAMER communities. This is just the beginning and the start of the conversation, bringing us one step closer to ensure that everyone living with cancer can access the help they need, in the way they need. 

Thank you so much to everyone who came and supported the event and a big thank you to our wonderful panel: Saima Thompson, Angel Shepherd, Bami Adenipekun, Yayah Assani, and interviewer Toral Shah for sharing their story.

Click here to join our BAME cancer support Facebook group. Our next BAMER London Meet Up will take place on Wednesday 27th November hosted by Saima Thompson at Masala Wala Cafe.