British/Irish | Filipino
The pandemic has gifted me with time to work through some of the struggles that I have been facing with my identity. I have enjoyed finding books written about multicultural families like mine. I have also used this period of my life to expose myself to the voices of other individuals speaking out about their lived experience. While there are many commonalities between us, I think it is important not to oversimplify the mixed-race experience and condense it into a single narrative. I am so grateful for platforms like @mixedracefaces which allow mixed-race individuals to tell their stories. I believe that there is so much that I can learn from others who are mixed, but who are not necessarily from the same background as myself.
When I started university, I felt like I was constantly having to explain myself or trying to justify the claim I had to my heritage. The fact that I am not bilingual also often led to dismissal. The increase in questions about where I am from and the experience of rejection in spaces that I had previously felt like I belonged to instilled doubt within me. Doubt about my identity, how I had been raised and whether I could ever be 'enough' for any of my cultures. I began to feel like an imposter on both sides of my family and for the first time, I was unsure of how exactly I was supposed to 'identify'.
My background led me to become heavily involved with volunteering for the blood cancer charity @anthonynolancharity. They do amazing work to match patients in need with donors for stem cell transplantation. The diversification of the stem cell register is so important and something I feel very strongly about. Patients are often more likely to find a match in a person from the same ethnic background. Sadly, there are long-standing disparities in access to stem cell transplants for mixed-race patients, due to the underrepresentation of those from similar backgrounds on the register. No one should have to be denied a potentially life-saving treatment because of their ethnicity and I dream of a day where every person waiting for a stem cell transplant will be able to find the match they need.
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