100 voices
2024 women's health inequalities
Women from across the UK and overseas applied to share their story of facing life changing or incurable health conditions at a young age. The 2024 campaign focused on women's health inequalities. Interviewed by Dr Liz Murray, their interviews were shared in an inspiring podcast episode each week throughout the year.
Sharing their story and sharing messages of hope, strength as well as reinforced by education and health awareness by Dr Liz Murray. We have covered over 150 health topics across the 100 women, with the episodes listened to across the world in 55 countries on the podcast. A powerful video documentary of these impactful interviews and a reflection of the campaign will be released in 2025.
AMY W
VOICE NO. 1 & Trustee
Amy was Voice No. 1 and 6 months after her original interview, her cancer had significant progression. Having secondary breast cancer and sarcoma, Amy's approach has always been to engage and embrace the palliative care services to live well. Now at the end of her treatment, Amy is in a hospice facing end of life care but continues to shed a light on how there can be a way to 'die beautifully'. Her second interview was recorded within the hospice with the purpose of sharing hope and address stigma of hospice care.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | SECONDARY CANCER | SARCOMA | MASTECTOMY | DIEP RECONSTRUCTION | MENOPAUSE | CHEMOTHERAPY | RADIOTHERAPY | PALLIATIVE CARE | HOSPICE
Jen M (Jendometriosis)
VOICE No. 2
Jen shares her experience with endometriosis and adenomyosis, how she was medically gaslit for years before having her symptoms taken seriously. As a result Jen has multiple organ damage and infertility as a result of the endometriosis. Jen is a leading health advocate for Endometriosis awareness.
ENDOMETRIOSIS | ADENOMYOSIS | FERTILITY | INFERTILITY | HYSTERECTOMY | SURGICAL MENOPAUSE | CHEMICAL MENOPAUSE
GIZELA
VOICE NO. 3
Gizela shares her story of having her nipple discharge and one breast larger than the other for 6 months before being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer (de novo). Sharing with a beautiful gentleness how she prepared her family for the secondary diagnosis and despite being originally given months to live, is now 2 years on with no evidence of active disease.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | SECONDARY CANCER | SARCOMA | CHEMOTHERAPY | RADIOTHERAPY | PALLIATIVE CARE | DENOVO
LISA
VOICE No. 6
Lisa shares her journey of how mental health can affect the wider family, and how it took her years to get her symptoms taken seriously. Lisa was diagnosed with Lupus, an autoimmune condition and shares how the impact of this disease is often under-appreciated.
LUPUS | AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE | CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE | SLE | MENTAL HEALTH
CAMILLA
VOICE NO. 7 & Artist
Camilla shares her journey of experiencing the stigma of periods from a young age. Camilla then shares her experience of having a miscarriage and being diagnosed with Endometriosis and the impact on fertility and how she has used writing to help her process this.
ENDOMETRIOSIS | FERTILITY | MISCARRIAGE
HELEN
VOICE No. 8
Helen shares her journey with breast cancer and how the process of reconstruction was longer and more complicated than expected. Helen later went on to have unusual symptoms which was eventually diagnosed as thyroid disease, an autoimmune condition which requires life long treatment.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | MASTECTOMY | RECONSTRUCTION | THYROID DISEASE | AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE
TRACY
VOICE NO. 9
Tracy shares her story of living with secondary breast cancer and how relentless it can be but also how she finds way to still make the most of life. Previously a nurse, Tracy shares how her medical experience influenced how she responded to the secondary diagnosis and the importance of having a community of support.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | SECONDARY CANCER | SPINAL CORD COMPRESSION | METASTATIC DISEASE | RADIOTHERAPY | CHEMOTHERAPY | ENHERTU
VIV
VOICE No. 10
Viv shares her story of facing secondary breast cancer that presented 'de novo'...meaning it had already metastasised at the time of diagnosis. Viv had hip pain as one of her presenting symptoms and then went on to discover it was in fact a secondary from breast cancer.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | SECONDARY CANCER | DE NOVO
JO
VOICE NO. 11
Jo shares her journey with mental health from being a teenager, opens up about the often considered taboo topic of miscarriages, and her experience of Postnatal depression. Opening up an inspiring conversation about several issues that are normally seen as taboo.
MENTAL HEALTH | BODY DYSMORPHIA | MISCARRIAGE | NEURODIVERSITY | POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
LAURA
VOICE No. 12
Laura shares her journey with a very rare autoimmune condition - Addison's disease which affects around 1 in 14,000 in the UK. Laura shares how despite needing daily medication and having a condition that could become life threatening without warning, she is determined to not let her diagnosis dictate her life.
ADDISON'S DISEASE | PRIMARY OVARIAN INSUFFICIENCY | CORTISOL | MENOPAUSE | AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE | ADRENAL FAILURE
TRACY W
VOICE NO. 13
Tracy shares her experience of having symptoms of autoimmune disease for many years before finally getting the diagnosis of SLE (Lupus) an autoimmune condition which is incurable and can be life changing. Tracy also had symptoms of cardiac arrhythmia for a long time which was dismissed as anxiety meaning by the time it was properly diagnosed it had caused heart failure.
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE | LUPUS | SJOGRENS | SLE | ATRIAL FIBRILLATION | HEART FAILURE
JEANNIE
VOICE No. 14
Jeannie shares her journey finding a way to live life well and embrace the small things whilst being honest about the impact of having secondary breast cancer.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | SECONDARY BREAST CANCER | MASTECTOMY | BREAST RECONSTRUCTION | ENHERTU | CHEMOTHERAPY | RADIOTHERAPY
ELLIE
VOICE NO. 15
Ellie shares a rare experience of having a double mastectomy and reconstruction with implants as part of a risk-reducing procedure after being tested and confirmed to have the BRCA gene mutation. With a family history of breast and ovarian cancer, Ellie was tested positive for the gene mutation and shares how she came to the decision to have the procedure at a young age.
BRCA GENE MUTATION | MASTECTOMY | RISK REDUCING MASTECTOMY | CANCER | BREAST CANCER | OVARIAN CANCER | FERTILITY
DAWN
VOICE No. 16
Dawn shares her journey of having her fertility affected and experiencing the devastating pain and disruption of having fibroids. After a period of infertility, Dawn was found to have 16 benign tumours/fibroids. Dawn is now a leading advocate for Fibroids awareness and support.
PERIODS | FIBROIDS | LAPAROSCOPY | MENORRHAGIA | ANAEMIA | FERTILITY
SUE
VOICE No. 18
Sue shares what it is like to live with Trigeminal Neuralgia; a chronic nerve neuropathy that previously had the name 'Suicide Disease' by both patients and medical professionals. So named (previously and incorrectly) because of a higher link to suicide due to patient's being unable to cope with the severity of the pain. Sue addresses how damaging that phrase can be and how she herself tries to find hope and stay strong.
TRIGEMINAL NEUROPATHY | CHRONIC PAIN | NEURALGIA
SARAH P
VOICE NO. 20
Sarah shares light on two rare conditions that are the result of an underlying genetic mutation. Sarah has a hyper metabolic disorder which means she has to be PEG fed and requires more than double the daily calories. Sarah also has a rare form of demyelination, a neurological condition that affects her mobility.
HYPERMETABOLIC SYNDROME | PEG FEEDING | NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE | DEMYELINATION | MOBILITY AIDS
ANJLEE
VOICE No. 21
Anjlee shares how after being treated for primary breast cancer she was then quickly diagnosed with secondary cancer after the disease metastasised to her lungs and liver. During the interview she discusses how she navigated being a single mum of two boys and working, and how she found a way to advocate for her treatment.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | SECONDARY CANCER | CHEMOTHERAPY | RADIOTHERAPY | LUMPECTOMY |
*ANJLEE DIED IN SUMMER 2024, months after filming with us. We have worked with her family and part of their journey was the influence for our Sunset Support that we are fundraising to launch in 2025.
CLARE
VOICE NO. 22
Clare shares her experience of a rare cancer and the chronic condition which is often misdiagnosed because of social taboos. Vulva cancer is not often talked about, and Clare was dismissed as having thrush for many years when she actually had lichen sclerosis, a chronic skin condition of the vulva which if left untreated can become malignant. Clare now runs an awareness and support campaign to reduce the social stigma and raise awareness
CANCER | VULVA CANCER | LICHEN SCLEROSIS | THRUSH | MENOPAUSE | RADIOTHERAPY
NIRUSHA
VOICE No. 23
Nirusha shares a unique story of how a motorbike/car accident left her with most of one side of her body fractured needing years of rehabilitation and countless surgeries. Nirusha also shares her journey of having an ectopic pregnancy, resulting in a tube having to be removed and the impact on her fertility.
TRAUMA | CAR ACCIDENT | ORTHOPAEDIC FRACTURES | REHABILITATION | MISCARRIAGE | ECTOPIC PREGNANCY | FERTILITY | PHYSIOTHERAPY | MOBILITY AIDS | WHEELCHAIR | ENDOMETRIOSIS
JULIET
VOICE NO. 24
Juliet shares her experience of primary breast cancer, how she had to advocate for herself to have a double mastectomy and her reasons for not opting to have reconstruction. We talk at length about the important topic of how staying flat following a mastectomy can be a hard and less obvious choice for women, but how Juliet has found it liberating.
CANCER | VULVA CANCER | LICHEN SCLEROSIS | THRUSH | MENOPAUSE | RADIOTHERAPY
CHRISSIE
VOICE No. 25
Chrissie shares how she presented with rib pain multiple times and was dismissed until it was finally found that the pain was rib fractures due to bone mets from secondary breast cancer. Chrissie's diagnosis was 'de novo' which means was secondary progression at the time of diagnosis. Chrissie needed a period of months in a hospice for restbite and rehabilitation which not many people realise is an option and we talk about the stigma and fear of palliative care and hospices, and how they have a place for helping prolong and enhance the quality of life.
CANCER | DE NOVO | BREAST CANCER | SECONDARY BREAST CANCER | PALLIATIVE CARE | HOSPICE | REHABILITATION
KATE B
VOICE NO. 26
Kate sharing her journey with secondary infertility, IVF, endometriosis, adenomyosis and miscarriage. Again bringing light to topics previously considered taboo, Kate talks about how we need to forgive our body rather than resenting it which is a unique way of looking at chronic health.
IVF | ENDOMETRIOSIS | ADENOMYOSIS | MISCARRIAGE | MISCARRIAGE | PREGNANCY LOSS
PAM
VOICE NO. 28
Pam shares another unique presentation of cancer, with her de novo diagnosis first presenting in her eye. After developing double vision in one eye, later exploration found a wrinkle on her breast was actually secondary breast cancer.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | SECONDARY CANCER | DE NOVO
MEERA
VOICE No. 31
Meera shares how rib pain and chest pain during pregnancy was ignored for months and how this later proved to be multiple myeloma. Meera had to navigate chemotherapy and treatment with a newborn baby and focuses in her interview on how having a baby was both an added challenge but also became her focus for strength.
MULTIPLE MYELOMA | CHEMOTHERAPY | STEM CELL TRANSPLANT
ALEX
VOICE NO. 32
Alex shares her journey with primary breast cancer and how there is little spoken about regarding the period when active treatment ends and how this time of recovering and processing from the treatment is just as important and sometimes just as long.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | MASTECTOMY | RECONSTRUCTION | MENTAL HEALTH
LUCY T
VOICE No. 33
Lucy is the founder of the charity Nipple Innovation Project, but here shares her own journey of being born with congenital hip dysplasia required full major pelvic surgery and how currently lives with chronic pain and the need for mobility aids. Lucy also shares light on a lesser-known health topic, PMDD a mental health condition linked to cyclical hormone changes.
CONGENITAL HIP DYSPLASIA | HIP SURGEY | MOBILITY AIDS | INVISIBLE DISABILITY | MENTAL HEALTH | PMDD
ROISIN
VOICE NO. 34
Roisin shares her journey to being diagnosed with primary breast cancer whilst pregnant and then secondary breast cancer when going through the adoption process. Roisin shares the importance of knowing when and how to advocate for yourself as her symptoms of progression were originally dismissed.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | SECONDARY BREAST CANCER | RECONSTRUCTION | ADOPTION
SARAH D
VOICE No. 35
Sarah shares how recurrent episodes of optic neuritis would later prove to be Multiple Sclerosis, MS, a neurological condition that can be progressive and/or relapsing/remitting. Sarah shares how she advocated for treatment and changed hospital and became eligible for Stem Cell transplant treatment.
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS | MS | OPTIC NEURITIS | CHEMOTHERAPY | STEM CELL TRANSPLANT
STEPHANIE
VOICE NO. 36
Stephanie shares how she went from being a nurse and mum of two to having her life turned upside down with two major diagnoses in quick succession/ Rectal bleeding proved to be Crohns, an inflammatory bowel disease. Later an inverted nipple was the first sign of primary breast cancer.
CANCER | BREAST CANCER | CHEMOTHERAPY | CROHNS | INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
LAURA W
VOICE No. 37
Laura shares how as a baby her parents were faced with her being diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Years later Laura then had an operation for a suspected benign ovarian tumour which turned out to be cancer. By which point of being told the diagnosis, Laura had already been cured. Laura shares how experiencing a non-conventional journey of cancer took a lot to process mentally which is a very important perspective less spoken about.
ENDOMETRIAL CANCER | OVARIAN CANCER | FERTILITY
FAYE
VOICE No. 39
Faye shares how she was diagnosed at the rare age of being a baby with type 1 diabetes. This is an important interview discussing the stigma of diabetes and the public's misunderstanding of the difference between type 1
TYPE 1 DIABETES | INSULIN DEPENDENT DIABETES | INSULIN PUMP | HYPOGLYCAEMIA