“I felt the weight of the taboo when I was diagnosed. I didn’t tell anyone about the breast cancer.”

Bep grew up in a traditional Sikh community. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, her family encouraged her to keep the news amongst themselves.

“I felt the weight of the taboo when I was diagnosed. I didn’t tell anyone about the breast cancer and the few people who did know thought I had done something wrong in a past life, or when back at work seemed to cross the corridor to avoid talking about a sensitive topic with me. I felt very isolated and alone”.

Bep finished treatment for breast cancer and went back to work, but six years later she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer shortly after her Dad had died from prostate cancer in the same year.

“My Dad had hidden his symptoms and by the time he eventually went to the GP it was too late. That made me really angry.”

Before he died, both Bep and her Dad had genetic testing to see if they had the BRCA gene variant which is known to cause some cancers including breast cancer. Neither of them had the genetic change.

Bep’s immediate family were no strangers to cancer. Her husband had been treated for lymphoma the year before her own breast cancer and her Mum had also had bowel cancer which had been diagnosed through routine screening when she had turned 60. When she started to ask more questions, she found further cancers in previous generations, but the cultural traditions meant that it hadn’t been discussed.

“One day my good friend said to me ‘I respect your decision to keep your cancer private, but your story could help so many people.’ “

“That conversation changed everything for me.”

Bep decided to break with taboo and started talking to her wider family and her community about her cancer diagnosis as she wanted to help others feel less alone and to know there was no shame attached to a cancer diagnosis. When she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2022, her third cancer, she didn’t keep it a secret. It wasn’t easy, but she was determined to be open and honest this time.

At the time of her bowel cancer diagnosis, she happened to see an interview on TV with a man who had Lynch syndrome. Lynch syndrome is a genetic condition which increases your chance of developing cancer, often at an early age.

“I was watching this interview and I thought, ‘maybe I have that’. So after I had my colonoscopy I mentioned it, and the doctor said it was quite likely I could have Lynch syndrome.”

Lynch syndrome is responsible for 3% of all bowel cancer cases and testing confirmed that Bep did indeed have Lynch syndrome. This diagnosis means that she can now access regular bowel screening and can consider taking a low dose of aspirin which reduces the risk of developing further cancers in people with Lynch syndrome.

“My GP didn’t know enough about Lynch syndrome, so now I educate them! In my community, people have a huge level of trust in their doctors, and they tend to accept everything they are told. Now I tell people it’s ok to ask questions as you know your own body the best.”

Bep is committed to raising awareness about Lynch syndrome with clinicians. She’s also passionate about encouraging families to have conversations about health issues by showing how important it is to know your own family history.

“I didn’t know that we had such a strong history of cancer in my family. If I had known, things could have been very different for me.”