Kehinde, 35, shares her story of diagnosis and treatment for myxoid liposarcoma. Kehinde lives in London with her young daughter and works in energy policy and as a personal trainer. She is also an online coach and digital creator.
How was your cancer diagnosed?
In 2021 I found a lump on my hip and after a bit of messing about, I was sent for tests. I was told it could be cancer, but the risk was very low. Diagnosis and treatment were very physically, mentally and emotionally rough. I had lost both of my parents in 2019 and 2020 so the support I would have had from them was gone, and I was still grieving their loss at the time.
VIDEO: Kehinde presenting at UKIO Congress
What treatment did you have?
I had 25 radiotherapy treatments followed by surgery. As I had less support and had also recently gone through a tough break up, I set up a Whatsapp group for my friends and family asking for their help with attending appointments and support my daughter with school and extracurricular activities. It was a well-oiled machine.
What was your experience of radiotherapy?
Radiotherapy was very hard for me. I noticed my skin changing and felt a lot of anxiety and nausea. I felt very tired waiting around and going back and forth from appointments. I did try to keep going to the gym. The staff were brilliant and made the process clear to me but at the same time, the people in the leaflets did not look like me. I struggled to find people of my age and skin colour in the resources.
Did you have any side effects or late effects?
I had a radiation skin reaction and felt very tired during and after treatment.
What helped or helps you cope with cancer?
My faith in God supports me. I think I was put through this so that I have to use my voice and share what I went through. I wanted to become the voice I didn’t have.
What did you or do you find hard?
The scar from my surgery was very neat, but I still found it very difficult to accept my body afterwards. I did not like what I saw in the mirror and I couldn’t train my body the way I had before.
Unsolicited advice was difficult to handle. People should say less I think. My diet was good and I was running 5k a day. I was really unfortunate to get cancer, it wasn’t caused by my lifestyle choices. The last thing I needed was people sending me silly, unproven ‘cures’.
How are you now?
I think it’s finally hit me. I’ve had cancer. I’m naturally very introverted and like my own company, but I do find people gravitate towards me when they get a diagnosis. They want support and reassurance, and I am trying to do that, but also accept that I cannot do everything. I do like to help people if I can and make them aware of the questions they could ask if they are not sure about their treatment.
Do you have any advice or messages for others?
It can be easy to feel hopeless. It can help to be open and transparent about your worries. I had the support of Black Women Rising and my fitness community and that made me feel held. The Black Women Rising community allowed me to feel normal.
Before that I had become hyper-independent and was trying to get through cancer alone.
Having cancer broke me. But I like to think of the situation as breaking me so I could be built into the person I am today.
