Leanne Pero
The Gilead Campaigner for Health Equality was awarded to Leanne Pero by Clare Balding. Leanne is the founder of Black Women Rising, a charity aimed at raising cancer awareness among women of colour. Leanne founded the organisation after her own battle with breast cancer aged just 30, where she found that Black experiences with cancer were being excluded from cancer charity campaigns, NHS support packages and more. Additionally, Black Women Rising aims to combat the unhelpful myths and taboos surrounding cancer within the BAME community which ultimately stop people from speaking out about their ordeals, leading to a lack of awareness and education within BAME households around cancer, its signs and symptoms.
Leanne said,
“I am incredibly honoured to have received this award. It is almost 6 years to the day that I was diagnosed with breast cancer and since then it has been my mission to encourage and empower women of colour through their own cancer diagnoses. This award is an amazing tribute to that, one which I am really thankful for. It will allow me to continue to use my own voice to make sure that the unheard voices of my community are listened to more.”
Gilead and Kite said,
“We are very grateful to be able to sponsor this award which goes to Leanne, naming her the Campaigner for Health Equality, and to continue our work towards making a healthier world with equitable access to the benefits of healthcare for all.”