20/08/2026
“I couldn't find anything about it from women who looked like me. So now I have to speak about it.”
Gayle writes about her experience of cervical cancer, the emotional impact, and the importance of representation in stories like hers.
“For four years, I was bleeding for prolonged periods and told, repeatedly, that it was fibroids. My GP dismissed my concerns — I was perimenopausal, they said, as though that explained everything away. Alongside the bleeding came significant discomfort, and eventually I became deeply depressed and despondent, convinced this was simply how my life would be from now on.
By 2019, after a particularly prolonged episode, I had reached my limit. A new locum at my surgery suggested I use my private medical insurance to get a second opinion. That decision changed everything. On 8 November 2019 — two days before my birthday — I received a diagnosis of cervical cancer. I was devastated. And this is the part of my story I speak about most, because whilst symptoms and treatments are well documented, what is far less spoken about is the emotional impact — particularly for women from my cultural background. We grow up hearing the same message: “don't talk our business”. So we carry it all inside: the pain, the discomfort, and even a quiet, misplaced shame for being unwell. For not being strong enough.
I will always support The Eve Appeal in getting across the message that they are here to ensure that no woman regardless of culture or race is left feeling alone. That is why I am here. That is why I choose to speak.”
To read Gayle's blog in full, click: https://eveappeal.org.uk/my-journey-with-cervical-cancer
