AN Ealing woman was devastated when she was diagnosed with cancer during lockdown. Worse still, she had to break the news to her family in a video call.

“It was one of the hardest days of my life,” said Bansri Dhokia. “I couldn’t have visitors so I had to gather my family together and tell them over Zoom.

“My mum is my best friend and I knew she was so worried about me and she couldn’t even see me to give me a hug.”

Bansri was forced to put her dream wedding on hold while she underwent chemotherapy. Treatment went well, but last December she was told the cancer had returned.

Undeterred, she and her family and friends are fighting back.

They are stepping up for Cancer Research UK’s latest fund-raising campaign, Walk All Over Cancer 2022 - and they are asking others to join them.

Supporters are asked to sign up and get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps every day in March.

Up until summer 2020, Bansri, 30, was working long hours as a business analyst in a job she loved. 

She had a healthy lifestyle, exercising four to five hours a week and regularly going on yoga retreats.

She had gone through a civil wedding ceremony with her husband, Amrit, but was longing for the big day – the celebratory Hindu ceremony and party.

However, in the weeks running up to her 29th birthday, Bansri started to feel overwhelmed with fatigue. 

“I knew something wasn’t right because usually I had so much energy, but suddenly I was out of breath, even doing simple tasks,” she said.

Bansri booked appointments with her GP but was unable to see her face to face due to covid restrictions.

“I knew something wasn’t right, but it was very difficult explaining the symptoms over the phone,” she said.

Eventually, she was given the devastating news that she had leukaemia.

Bansri had three cycles of chemotherapy and was allowed home briefly for Christmas.  She returned to hospital for further treatment in January 2021 and in February underwent a stem cell transplant.

She was in remission for nine months but a further bone marrow biopsy in December revealed the cancer had returned.  She is now undergoing further chemotherapy.

During her initial stay in hospital, Bansri saw an advert for the Cancer Research UK Walk All Over Cancer challenge.

She said: “I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it, but I told my mum, Rama, about it and she and a group of friends, including Amrit’s mum, signed up, calling themselves Team Dolly. That became my nickname as I’m so small the nurses said I looked like a little doll.”

Team Dolly raised £10,000 for Cancer Research UK and have signed up for the 2022 challenge.

Ten thousand steps is equal to about five miles, based on the average person’s strides. By the end of March, participants will have clocked up more than 150 miles.

To sign up and receive a free fund-raising pack and T-shirt, visit cruk.org/walkallover