How a cancer diagnosis led Jay to create Shanika Sunrise

Video by Granada Reports journalist Andrew Fletcher

Jay Swinnerton was just 19 when they were diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin Lymphoma for the first time.

Their friends bought them a purple wig as they knew that Jay was going to lose their hair during chemotherapy and Shanika Sunrise was born.

"I had some very supportive friends and they bought me a wig for my birthday. So I started putting this wig on and initially started using my Mum's makeup and making videos and it all snowballed from there."

Less than a year later Jay was back in hospital as it turned out their cancer was refractory, meaning it hadn’t fully responded to treatment.

They trialled four different drugs and juggled sepsis and lymphoma before finally reaching remission thanks to a new immunotherapy drug that had recently been approved on the NHS.

They also needed a stem cell transplant to narrow the chances of relapse. Their brother was a match.

Jay turned to drag as a way of dealing with and processing their diagnosis and treatment. Performing as Shanika helped them come to terms with what was happening to them.

Jay says "Shanika Sunrise was born out of this time of stress and fear but now she is the reason I get out of bed in the morning.

It's nice now to be able to take to the stage and this be a back story now the reason I do drag is to celebrate life and this second chance that I've had."

Hanna Simpson is the chief nurse at the Christie looking after teenagers and young people. She met Jay when he was 19 and received their diagnosis and says they are inspirational:

"Part of my role is to support young people when they hear those words, you have cancer. 7 young people everyday 16 to 25 hear those words. You want hope and you want inspiration, Jay and Shanika combine are a beacon of hope."

Shanika Sunrise will be performing on the Alan Turing stage at Manchester Pride in the evening of Saturday 24 August.

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