People from racialized and 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities are underrepresented in the institution of cancer care, and they’re slipping through the cracks because of it.
“I really felt like my issues didn’t matter. And I didn’t feel confident in making a decision about a life-changing surgery because I didn’t see myself represented,” said Michelle Audoin, the founder of Uncovered: A Breast Recognition Project. “The fact that I didn’t see myself in this space and my questions weren’t being addressed, it led to depression.”
For breast cancer, a reproductive cancer, the disparity can be especially apparent for the latter group.
One thing is clear: it’s time to rewrite the narrative of what a typical cancer survivor looks like. To do so, members of the community across Canada are fighting against these gaps, from diversifying what breast cancer looks like to writing a graphic memoir.
Global's Katherine Cheng has more.