Cancer Survivor, Natural Born leader: Leanne Pero MBE, founder of Black Women Rising

Which is the perfect segue into me wanting to dive straight into how I met you, basically, which is through Black Women Rising.

Absolutely.

So tell me about the charity.

Why is it that we need Black Women Rising?

So I was diagnosed with breast cancer nine years ago at the age of 30.

I was a fit and healthy dance teacher, fitness instructor.

I, you know, I have seven siblings, you know, there's four sisters.

And out of all four sisters, I'm the one that's led a very healthy lifestyle.

And also really health conscious because I had a few issues like I had a few issues with my gut growing up and things like that.

So I was just so health conscious.

And, you know, my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer the same year as me, six months before me for the second time.

Wow.

So cancer had always been in my family and I guess it was just really shocking when I found my lump, you know, and absolutely even more shocking when I was diagnosed with breast cancer by the same consultant who said it to my mum and I was in with my mum when she was diagnosed as well.

So it was almost like, oh my God, here we go.

I didn't take it seriously so much so I rocked up with a best friend and my younger brother decided to come with me because he was quite nervous because of my mum and the fact that they were taking it seriously.

And I guess once I was diagnosed, I guess it led me on the next eight months.

There was a few things that became apparent to me.

I think number one, when I first was diagnosed, I did not see any representation of any body that really looked like me around the waiting rooms and in the leaflets that I was given.

There was no representation of young women, let alone women of colour in all of those booklets that you get given when you're diagnosed about chemotherapy and all the other things you Who's giving

those booklets out? The care team, you know, your consultant

and care team.

But I think for me, it was when I started chemotherapy as well.

And chemotherapy was actually probably...

Everyone would say it was the toughest time.

For me, actually going to the chemo ward every three weeks was one of the joyous times because the nurses and people up on that ward treat you so lovely and you meet people and you talk to people.