This month I will raise a cuppa to The Eve Appeal’s Make Time for Tea campaign for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
Having Stage 4 lung cancer myself, I find it’s extremely important to come together and talk about our symptoms and have conversations about our health no matter how embarrassing or taboo.
Us brits are too straight faced at times and will do anything to avoid an awkward conversation, but lives can be genuinely saved through early diagnosis and prevention if we just talk.
More and more people are living with cancer as a chronic illness as medicine and treatments advance. So it’s really time to talk about…. health, without our health we are nothing.
I am 30 years old and part of a large Pakistani family of girls, we are starting to have conversations around gynae health but after my visit to the launch for ovarian cancer awareness I realise we need to have way more open conversations.
I have had one smear test and due for my next which is great but cancer is not as simple as that. Noticing symptoms and listening to our bodies is so important and I will be making an active effort to talk to my girlfriends and sisters about any changes no matter what the body part is.
The main symptoms for ovarian cancer are but not limited to:
- Increased abdominal size and persistent bloating
- Persistent pelvic and abdominal pain
- Unexplained change in bowel habits
- Difficulty eating and feeling full quickly or feeling nauseous
As you can see these symptoms can be confused for an array of other health conditions such as Irritable bowel syndrome.
In south Asian culture the subject of cancer or general illness is not commonly discussed, this is due to multiple factors such as shame, embarrassment, taboo, lack of knowledge and lack of support.
Because of this silence and lack of conversation, outcomes are poor In BAME communities and treatable diseases such as cancer are being staged late.
This has to change immediately, so I started a closed Facebook support group where people who have or are going through cancer can share their cancer experience and any cultural challenges they may have faced.
Join us on Facebook – Black, Asian, minority, ethnic cancer support
Now here’s a recipe close to my heart for one of my favourite Pakistani desserts which we serve regularly on the menu at my restaurant Masala Wala Cafe in London. It has an excellent sticky toffee texture, an indulgent treat.
Give this a try with a pot of tea and talk about you gynae health with your mates
Gajar Ka Halwa (sweet carrot pudding)
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
Carrots peeled and grated 1kg
Demerara brown sugar 130 grams
Green cardamom pods 10
Unsalted butter 100 grams
Condensed milk 160 grams
Handful of crushed pistachio for texture and garnish
Method:
- Deshell cardamom and crush in pestle and mortar or coffee grinder
- Fry cardamom powder in butter and add grated carrot, keep on medium heat in deep pan, stir to make sure the mixture does not catch
- Cook until carrots are softened and moisture dried out, approx 20 minutes
- Add condensed milk and bring to boil, stirring through, back to medium heat until the condensed milk has evaporated
- Stay patient and add the sugar, continue to stir until sugar has dissolved.
- When ready mixture should be moist but all condensed milk absorbed.
- Serve warm and garnish with crushed pistachio
Personal blog
@curryandcancer
www.curryandcancer.com
Restaurant
@masalawalacafe
www.masalawalacafe.co.uk