This Isn’t Just Me: The Power of Community, Connection and Speaking Up

10 Apr

Introducing: Rena

In this deeply moving and powerful conversation, Luan speaks with Rena Patel, who was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at 40—just after her daughter turned four.
Connections can help change our experiences. Rena shares how finding *Black Women Rising*—a UK-based cancer support project for women of colour—opened the door to community, confidence, and self-advocacy. It helped her feel less alone and more empowered to ask for the care that was right for her.

Rena felt isolated, unsure where to turn when she was diagnosed, as she didn’t know anyone in her community who’d been through something similar. On top of that, she often felt unseen and unheard within a healthcare system that doesn’t always account for the diverse needs of women from ethnic minority backgrounds, or understand the different cultural perspectives of their communities. From not being shown how to identify radiotherapy burns on non-white skin to struggling to find wigs that matched her hair, these gaps added to the emotional weight of her treatment.

As an Ambassador of Black Women Rising Rena is helping to build a future where all women—regardless of background—feel seen, heard, and supported. For herself, for her community, and for her beautiful daughter.

I need to use my voice for my daughter's future.

In this episode: