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This week I visited an art exhibition in Nottingham called Breast Cancer and Me. Jennifer Ellis, a photographer, has captured powerful images of women facing the physical and emotional effects of breast cancer, while also portraying their hopes and desire for change.

It coincides with October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Buildings, monuments and landmarks around the world have been illuminated in pink lights, and on social media the hashtag #TimeToEndBreastCancer is raising awareness of the importance of screening and fundraising. Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women around the world. Its effects are psychological as well as physical, causing uncertainty, anxiety and pain, and it can also challenge a woman’s identity, her body image and femininity. Families are affected too, as they see mothers, sisters, and daughters suffer, without knowing what the future holds.

The tremendous progress in breast cancer treatment and screening over the last 50 years has seen survival rates significantly improve, although there’s still a wide global variation in mortality rates. Even in the UK, Breast Cancer Now warns of too many missed opportunities, with only 70% of people with suspected breast cancer seeing a specialist within 2 weeks of going to their GP. There’s also evidence of inequalities for women from ethnic minorities, with lower rates of screening and poorer outcomes.

As a Sikh woman, I’m all too aware of the difficulties that Asian women face when it comes to a breast cancer diagnosis and cancer in general. It’s often difficult for women to talk openly about it, because cancer is often viewed as a stigmatized and feared disease. Putting their families’ needs before their own can also add to the burden of disease and affect women’s mental health.

And yet, as a Sikh I am instructed to always accept God’s Hukham or divine will, and approach any situation with positivity and optimism. The phrase of ‘Chardi Kala’ is often used by Sikhs and reflects the ideal and cherished mental state of a true Sikh, which is based on unflinching dedication to - and contentment with the Will of God, even in the face of severe hardship.

This is not an easy concept for anyone to practise, but when I gazed on the photos in the exhibition, I saw this state of optimism, of Chardi Kala, inside their struggle—an energy that helps people fight through the suffering, for a full and fruitful life. These women are impressive. And when we face the biggest and most threatening of life’s challenges, they’re an inspiration to us all.

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