Latest news with #VictoriaEkanoye
ITV News
01-07-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Former Coronation Street star Victoria Ekanoye calls for more research into Sickle Cell disease
ITV Granada Reports entertainment correspondent Caroline Whitmore has been catching up with Victoria Ekanoye who lives with Sickle Cell disease. A former Coronation Street star who lives with Sickle Cell disease says research into the UK's biggest genetic blood disorder would be further ahead if it was not seen as a "black disease". Around 15,000 people live with the incurable condition which mostly affects those from African and Caribbean backgrounds. But Victoria Ekanoye says it can affect anyone of any ethnicity. The 43-year-old says she was "very quiet" about her own diagnosis when she was a younger woman but "shouts it from the rooftops" now because "we need the visibility". "People say that Sickle Cell is a black disease but it really isn't," she added. "Any single person can have the Sickle Cell gene. It developed as a mutation gene as a defence mechanism against malaria. "It may be controversial to say but if it wasn't a specific demographic that mainly struggled with this condition then we would be a lot further ahead in treatment." The mum-of-one, who starred in the ITV soap for three years, was diagnosed with Sickle Cell in her 20s and says she often experiences painful episodes and exhaustion. "My mum is a carrier, my father passed away from it and now my son is a carrier," she said. "I'm always tired, especially being a mum, but the main thing I experience is the Sickle Cell crises. "Something has happened along the way to cause my blood to not flow correctly and, when it does get clogged up in the veins, it can cause excruciating pain." Victoria, who is originally from Bury, supports the charity Sickle Cell Care Manchester which has just celebrated its 10th anniversary with a fundraising ball in Worsely, Salford. She said: "It has blown me away the amount of blood, sweat and tears of getting to 10 years. We asked everyone to wear read and everybody showed up. It was beautiful." What is Sickle Cell disease? It is a group of inherited conditions that affect the red blood cells and can cause pain, infection and in severe cases it can be life-threatening. The most serious type is called sickle cell anaemia. People with sickle cell disease produce unusually shaped red blood cells that can cause problems because they do not live as long as healthy blood cells and can block blood vessels. It is a life-long disease and particularly common in people with an African or Caribbean family background. What are the symptoms of Sickle Cell disease? According to the NHS, people born with the blood disease tend to have problems from early childhood, although some children have few symptoms and lead normal lives most of the time. The main symptoms are: Episodes of pain known as sickle cell crises are one of the most common and distressing symptoms of sickle cell disease. More vulnerable to infections, particularly when young. Nearly all people with the disease have anaemia, where the haemoglobin in the blood is low. Some people also experience other problems, such as delayed growth, strokes and lung problems.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Coronation Street star Victoria Ekanoye makes breast cancer plea after health battle
Victoria Ekanoye has bravely opened up about her fight against cancer in a bid to raise awareness. The former Coronation Street star, known for her role as Angie Appleton, discovered a lump in her breast not long after welcoming her son, Theo, in 2021. Despite a history of cancer in her family, initial medical checks reassured her that all was well. However, Victoria's intuition told her otherwise, leading to the discovery of a second lump. "It was definitely a period of time where a million other things were going on in my mind," the 43-year-old told the Mirror in an exclusive interview. "I didn't even want to think about it being breast cancer. READ MORE: Rob Rinder says 'just to be clear' as he declares love for Rylan Clark during Loose Women appearance READ MORE: Richard Osman speaks out on Gino D'Acampo scandal as ITV shows dropped "I remember being on set for Death in Paradise and I was just adjusting my microphone, because they put it on different parts of your clothing to kind of obscure it, and I was just adjusting my mic, and I felt a second lump in the same breast. "I was obviously scared but also really angry at that moment because I just thought, 'Well, what position am I in now? Do I go back, or is it just more of what they think?' "Because they thought it was maybe mastitis and calcification due to blocked milk ducts and things like that. So, I just had to kind of take myself off into room and just have a chat with myself or a pep talk and be like, 'Look, there's nothing you can do about it right now. "You're here to do a job. You're here with your mum and your son, you just need to protect them. Get the job done, then get home and do something about it'." For a third opinion, Victoria sought a more detailed physical examination involving an ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy of both lumps with a doctor she described as the 'best GP she's ever had'. These further inspections detected a third lump in her armpit and medics weren't pleased with what they saw. "So, she said, 'I'm not happy with with what I'm seeing. So, I really think at this point please come back in a week and bring somebody with you'. Now, like I said our family for whatever reason, has been plagued by cancer. And so, I know I've heard that sentence many times before 'to bring somebody with you'." As advised, Victoria returned the following week accompanied by her husband Jonathan. At that time, he remained optimistic, attributing the lumps to breastfeeding, given their son was only nine months old. Victoria continued: "I guess, you know, part of what I do for a living is we have to look at people's micro expressions and body language, and pick up these things, as an actress. And as soon as [the doctor] walked through the door, I knew what she was going to say and I was holding Johnny's hand. "She came in, she kind of spoke about a few things. She was not avoiding it - because she knew she had to [say something] - but I guess she was trying to softly bring her presence into the room... And [she was] like, 'Okay, look, I'm not gonna beat around the bush, we have found cancerous cells'. "And I just felt him stiffen next to me and I felt awful because, even though it's not your fault, and you don't bring it upon yourself, you feel guilt that you are bringing all this stress and worry and pain to everybody in your life that you love and care about." Victoria's terrifying experience comes amidst 56,822 new cases of breast cancer every year, according to Cancer Research statistics. Currently, it is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in the UK, accounting for 30% of all new female cases. Following her diagnosis, Victoria opted for a double mastectomy - a surgical procedure that removes both breasts. However, getting there wasn't straight-forward, as she needed a full body blood transfusion beforehand. Victoria also grapples with sickle cell disease, a lifelong inherited condition that can seriously impact red blood cells and may lead to severe health issues like strokes and organ damage in rare cases. "I was diagnosed in October, and I had my surgery in December," the star, from Bury, Greater Manchester, continued. "By that point it had become invasive and it had gotten to my lymph nodes, so had I not gone [to the doctors] ... I would have been past the point of it becoming invasive, and it would have been in and around my body, probably setting up camp somewhere else." Fast forward to February last year and Victoria was ecstatic to announce that she was finally cancer-free. As a patron of Prevent Breast Cancer, she's eager to keep raising awareness of the disease and is now urging people to do one thing. Taken the day I revealed my Breast Cancer diagnosis, received my blood & PET scan results, I can finally say…I'm CANCER FREE Thank you to those who formed my safety net. I'm humbled to have such beautiful humans in my life.2024 Let's go!#WorldCancerDay — Victoria Ekanoye (@VictoriaEkanoye) February 4, 2024 "The biggest part for me is, it's not about not listening to the doctors," she said. "It's about listening to yourself and your body, being body aware, checking yourself regularly, making a little diary just once a month. "We make appointments all of the time. We make dinner dates, catch up with friends. But the most important date I think you can put in your calendar when it comes to your health, is just once a month doing a full body check for yourself. "Is anything different? Does anything not feel right? And if there is something, then just go get it checked out. That's what the doctors are there for we're not bothering them. We're not wasting their time." In light of her personal journey, Victoria is in the process of finalising a documentary on breast cancer, which delves into global disparities in healthcare. She has been filming in various locations including Nigeria, South Africa, the US, and the UK, and aims to put a spotlight on the experiences of Black women and institutionalised racism. "So it's called Shades of Survival," she said. "It's for everyone, really. It's about breast cancer, it's about the disparities in healthcare. It's about the health inequity, it's about resilience, hope, shame sometimes. "In certain communities there is a lot of shame when it comes to breast cancer because of the connotations of being 'less of a woman' which is devastating anyway for the woman. Never mind having to worry about what the community thinks." Reflecting on her experience, she added: "I think the need to protect people makes you a little bit stoic in the moment, but in all honesty, I would have been completely broken if I didn't have the support network that I have and had at the time. My partner, Jonathan, has been an absolute rock."
