Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Exclusive: Asians need to "Step Up" when it comes to Cancer

A cancer survivor explains why we need to be more open about fatal illnesses

Exclusive: Asians need to "Step Up" when it comes to Cancer

His cancer came without notice, and for three months Keyur Patel – known as Kiwi – was planning his own funeral.

Now, 10 years on, Kiwi is “grateful” that he can tell his story and live the life he thought would end prematurely.


The Met police sergeant remembers vividly the day he found he had cancer.

“I didn't really notice anything until I collapsed at work,” he told Eastern Eye.

“I was working as a detention officer in 2012 and September of that year I went into work as normal, got changed, did my cell checks, and I started to feel a little bit ill.

“Then I just gradually got worse and worse.

“My sergeant was taking me out to the waiting room to get me to sit down and I blacked out.

“They called an ambulance, and I got the blues and twos [lights and sirens] to Charing Cross [hospital].

“They ran a whole heap of tests, and then eventually they took blood from my artery and that's what confirmed that I had chronic myeloid leukaemia.”

Chronic myeloid leukaemia or CML is a type of blood cancer.

According to the NHS, it is when “the spongy material inside some bones (bone marrow) produces too many myeloid cells – immature white blood cells that are not fully developed and do not work properly”.

It is most common in people aged 60 to 65. Doctors diagnosed that Kiwi had CML when he was 31.

“My initial thoughts, and the words that I used with the doctor were, how do we beat it?” he recalled.

“The doctor said, did you hear what I said to you? I heard what you said, but just tell me how we beat it.

“We've got to be able to beat it somehow, I said, so just tell me what we need to do.

“And that was it, that was kind of my initial reaction, my gut feeling was I'm going to fight this, no matter what.”

By his own admission, Kiwi’s early life was troubled, and it was the scouts where he realised he “wanted to make a difference to the world”.

Since then, he has devoted his life to public service.

Kiwi told Eastern Eye that when it comes to religion, he is agnostic, and he could not bear it when his relative told him his cancer was part of God’s plan.

He said with brutal honesty, “My mum and some others were like, don't worry, God has a plan, it will be okay.

“A few times I lost my temper, and I said, look I don't want to hear it.

“Do me a favour, if you want to talk about God, and all that sort of stuff, do it somewhere else, don't do it in front of me, right?

“Don't sit there and tell me that God's an amazing person, because I'm sitting in front of you, as someone who's dedicated 10 years of their life giving to the community, and I've got cancer.”

Kiwi also knows that some in the Asian communities think that illnesses, such as cancer, are considered to be a punishment from God, that you had done something wrong in your life.

It made him question why he had cancer.

“Some members of the community even voiced it.

“You've obviously done something wrong to upset God, because we all believe in karma.

“We all we all believe in reincarnation, and what have you.

“So, there was still a part of me thinking, seriously, what have I done?

“I had a troubled upbringing, when I was younger.

“I wasn't the most well-behaved child, one or two wrong turns and my life would have ended up very, very, very differently.

“Scouting was the intervention that got me out of it.

“So, is that the reason this has happened to me?

“Is it because I maybe lost my temper with my parents a few months ago, because I was angry, is that why I've got cancer?

“So, all these thoughts do go through your head.”

Previously Eastern Eye has reported that the health secretary wants south Asians to get screened for cancer.

We also highlighted that the NHS is conducting the world’s largest multi-cancer screening trial.

It is being run by Cancer Research UK and King’s College London Cancer Prevention Trials Unit in partnership with the NHS and healthcare company, GRAIL.

Researchers have told this paper the procedure is “a simple blood test”.

It works by finding chemical changes in fragments of genetic code called cell-free DNA which leak from tumours into the bloodstream.

“What we're doing is working with the NHS, to try a new technology, which is called the Galleri test, which is a blood test, which, from work that we've done in terms of clinical work already, said Sir Harpal Kumar, president of GRAIL Europe.

“We know can detect more than 50 different types of cancer from that single blood sample.”

“We look at is very specific markers in their DNA.

“These are very specific pieces of information that are aberrations if you like in the DNA, that give us an indication of whether someone is likely to have cancer or not.

“So, we don't look at the entire genome, we don't look at someone's background genetics or anything like that, we look for these very specific markers.

“Through all the work that we've done up until now, it helps us to differentiate someone who is likely to have cancer from someone who is more likely to have cancer.”

Today, Kiwi helps raises awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support.

He urges south Asians to take responsibility and take part in the project.

“Generally, in the South Asian communities, but I also mean wider, the Black and African Caribbean communities, all of the underrepresented communities within the UK, we need to sit up, we need to take notice,” said Kiwi.

“We need to start getting involved. To me the days have gone where it's somebody else's problem because eventually somebody close to you is going to be in the same position that I was in when I was diagnosed.”

What he wants is for people of colour, especially south Asians, to understand they need to get on the data base for bone marrow transplants.

“When I was diagnosed, they said the next few months was going to be touch and go.

“You need to establish if you've got a bone marrow match.

“If I was a white male, exactly the same age, I would have a better chance of finding a bone marrow match.

“If I was a south Asian male, I wouldn't have as good a match or chance.

“What that tells me is not that I'm a real oddity. It just means that members of our community aren't stepping forwards.

“I know this is going to sound really harsh, and I don't mean it to, but if you think it's not your responsibility, I would urge you to think otherwise.

“It really is your responsibility.”

Kiwi is not in remission, but he remains on medication to keep the disease at bay.

“I'm so grateful that I've been able to live a normal life, massively grateful that I found my second wife, she's absolutely incredible.

“I feel lucky and blessed because of what's happened to me in a funny sort of way.

“I spent the last five years doing a lot of wellbeing stuff, started a charity walk which is going to run again this year.

“We've raised close to 12,000 pounds for the blood fund at Hammersmith Hospital.

“I wouldn't have raised that if I didn't have cancer.”

Whatever people living with cancer need to ask, big or small, Macmillan Cancer Support will do whatever it takes to help everyone who needs it. Call Macmillan’s free support line on 0808 808 00 00, 7-days a week, 8-am-8pm, or visit macmillan.org.uk.  

Also Read: https://www.easterneye.biz/exclusive-asians-get-tested-for-cancer/

More For You

Legend of Zelda

Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth dressed as Zelda and Link in the first official look

Instagram/zeldanintendo

‘Legend of Zelda’ movie reveals Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as leads in surprise casting move

Highlights:

  • Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth have been cast as Princess Zelda and Link in the upcoming Legend of Zelda live-action movie.
  • Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed the casting via X on 16 July.
  • Directed by Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), the film is set to release on 7 May 2027.
  • The project is co-produced by Nintendo and Sony Pictures, marking a major push into cinematic adaptations for the gaming franchise.

Nintendo has officially announced the lead cast for its long-anticipated Legend of Zelda live-action adaptation. British actors Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will step into the iconic roles of Princess Zelda and Link, respectively, in a film set to release on 7 May 2027.

The casting was confirmed on Wednesday morning by Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s legendary game designer, who shared the news via Nintendo’s X account, alongside first-look images of the duo in costume. The announcement marks a major milestone in the development of the fantasy adventure film, which has been in the works for years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fauja Singh
Singh did not possess a birth certificate, but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty images

Accused in Fauja Singh death case arrested, sent to judicial custody

A CANADA-based man accused of fatally hitting 114-year-old marathoner Fauja Singh with an SUV in Punjab has been arrested and sent to judicial custody. Officials said the accused had returned to India just three weeks ago.

Jalandhar rural senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harvinder Singh told a press conference that 26-year-old Amritpal Singh Dhillon was arrested on Tuesday night and his vehicle was seized. He said police treated the case as a challenge and solved it within 30 hours.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indian Americans

A new survey shows growing cultural and emotional ties to India among US-born Indian Americans.

Getty Images

US-born Indian Americans show stronger ties to heritage: Survey

A NEW report has shown that Indian Americans born in the United States are displaying stronger identification with their Indian heritage than in previous years.

The 2024 Indian American Attitudes Survey by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, conducted online with 1,206 respondents, found that 86 per cent of US-born Indian Americans said that being Indian is “very” or “somewhat” important to them. This marks an increase from 70 per cent in 2020. The share who considered their Indian identity as “not too important” or “not important at all” dropped from 30 to 15 per cent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dan Rivera, face of viral Annabelle doll tour, dies unexpectedly in Gettysburg

He was the lead investigator for the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR)

Facebook/ Dan Rivera

Dan Rivera, face of viral Annabelle doll tour, dies unexpectedly in Gettysburg

Highlights

  • Dan Rivera, lead investigator at the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), died on 13 July 2025 in Gettysburg
  • Rivera was leading the Annabelle doll tour, which had gained viral attention on social media
  • He was found unresponsive in his hotel room; the cause of death is pending autopsy results
  • Rivera was mentored by renowned investigator Lorraine Warren and worked to continue the Warrens’ legacy
  • Tributes have poured in from the paranormal community remembering him as a passionate and kind figure

Dan Rivera dies during a sold-out paranormal tour

Dan Rivera, a well-known figure in the paranormal investigation world, died unexpectedly on Sunday 13 July 2025, during the Gettysburg leg of the "Devils on the Run" tour featuring the infamous Annabelle doll. Rivera was 54.

He was the lead investigator for the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), an organisation founded by renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Rivera was also a former U.S. Army veteran and had played a major role in organising and leading the national tour, which had attracted significant attention for its association with the allegedly haunted doll.

Keep ReadingShow less
Emma Watson

Emma Watson banned from driving for six months while studying at Oxford after speeding offence

Getty Images

Emma Watson banned from driving for six months after speeding offence in Oxford

Highlights:

  • Emma Watson received a six-month driving ban after being caught speeding at 38mph in a 30mph zone.
  • The Harry Potter star already had nine points on her licence from previous violations.
  • She was fined £1,044 (₹1,10,000 approx.) by High Wycombe Magistrates' Court; Watson did not attend the hearing.
  • Her Harry Potter co-star Zoe Wanamaker was also fined and banned the same day for a separate speeding offence.

Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, has been banned from driving for six months after a speeding offence in Oxford added to her already full slate of penalty points.

The 35-year-old actress-turned-Oxford University student was caught driving at 38mph in a 30mph zone on Banbury Road on 31 July 2024. The offence pushed her total to 12 points, triggering an automatic driving ban under UK law.

Keep ReadingShow less