Raising awareness

When Ravindra, 29, and Meeta Singh, 25, opted to have their stomachs removed after they were given an 80 per cent chance of developing gastric cancer they wanted the world to know about their rare condition – and turned to Medavia for help.

 The sisters inherited a mutant gene which had ravaged their family, claiming the lives of their father, two uncles, their grandmother and 19-year-old cousin. The gene affects only 100 families in the world.

Ravindra decided first to have her stomach removed as a precaution. However, tests in the run up to the procedure revealed she had early-stage gastric cancer. Doctors then carried out an emergency gastrectomy and caught the disease just in time.

Meeta had decided against an operation but her sister’s close call convinced her to go ahead, and she underwent the same procedure.

The sisters were desperate to raise awareness of such a rare condition and to encourage others with the hereditary gene to take action – and Medavia was instrumental in getting their message nationwide coverage.

Meeta said: “Medavia handled our story with respect and sensitivity. When I first contacted one of their consultants I had yet to have my operation. I had a lot on my mind, but I knew I wanted to get our message out there and raise peoples’ awareness. Our trust was well placed and I am very grateful for all the good work they have done.”

Thanks to Medavia the sisters’ story of how they beat their family curse filled the pages of every national newspaper in the country including The Times, Telegraph, Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail. Their remarkable tale was also snapped up by Best, Real People and Cosmopolitan magazines, and a major documentary is currently in the pipeline.

Ravindra said: “The coverage we received was more than we could have dreamed of. Despite the scale of the publicity Medavia made sure we were in control of every article and broadcast, checking we were happy with each idea before any action was taken. They were extremely friendly, professional and easy to talk to and I would recommend them to anyone.”