As part of South Asian Heritage Month, Walsall grandmother Naresh Hargun, shares her powerful story – from battling breast cancer to becoming an inspirational voice in the community.

Naresh was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022. The news came as a shock and was emotionally difficult, particularly as a South Asian woman navigating a subject often considered taboo.

She said: “I didn’t have my parents or in-laws around, and in our community, cancer is something you don’t really talk about. Speaking up was hard.”

But through this dark period, Naresh, 67, rediscovered something beautiful – her love of art.

The grandmother-of-four said: “My mind was always busy, and I wasn’t one to sit still. One day my husband placed some art materials in front of me and said, ‘why don’t you start painting again?’ I didn’t touch it for six months. Then one day, crying and unsure if I was going to live or die, I started painting and art that I created ended up displayed in Walsall Art Gallery.”

Naresh is now a proud member of the Walsall Art Society and is set to feature in an upcoming documentary called ‘Queens of Walsall’ on ITVX, highlighting women making a difference and empowering others.

Affectionately known locally as the ‘Samosa Queen’, Naresh moved to Walsall from London in 1977 after marrying a local Walsall lad. She was the first woman to create and sell her own samosa recipe in her family shop which would then later become the iconic Hargun’s Sweet Centre.

Cancer has touched her life before. Her father was the first South Asian patient at the hospice in Walsall Palliative Care Centre before he died from pancreatic cancer in 2012.

She said: “The care both my father and I received was outstanding. I can’t fault it.”

Naresh now attends Walsall’s Breast Cancer Support Group for BME women, known as Omeedh – a word meaning ‘hope’ or ‘never give up’ in South Asian dialects. It is the first group of its kind in the area.

“As a South Asian woman, it was hard to talk about breast cancer. But with the professionals and other women in the group, I now feel empowered. Cancer is a scary word, but seeing others fight it gives you hope. I encourage all women to attend and speak up.”

Naheed Razzaq, Outreach Support Officer at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, who leads the support group: “Naresh is a true champion. In our community, topics like breast cancer can be taboo, even within families. The group offers a safe space to share, connect and support each other in any language – whether it’s Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu or Bengali.”

Reflecting on South Asian Heritage Month, Naresh said: “It’s so important. It’s a way to celebrate our culture, show how far we’ve come, and inspire future generations to be proud of their roots.”