Content creator and cancer ambassador Nina Lopes, 39, from south London, died six years after being diagnosed with the disease and “saving lives” through sharing her story
A woman hailed for saving countless lives by sharing her breast cancer story died “peacefully” on Sunday.
Loved ones took to Nina Lopes’ Instagram account to confirm her death yesterday, sharing the devastating news with her 75,000 followers. Nina, who worked as a content creator, model, and an ambassador for the Cancer Awareness Trust, was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in July 2018 at aged just 36.
After the diagnosis, it wasn’t long before she had to undergo gruelling bouts of chemothrapy, surgery and radiotherapy to keep the tumour at bay. In February 2019 the mother-of-one was told the cancer was gone.
Around a year later, she started suffering symptoms and said she was repeatedly ignored by health professionals. Eventually, she underwent an MRI which showed the cancer had spread through her body, with tumours on her lymph nodes, chest wall and sternum. This cancer, stage 4 triple negative metastatic breast cancer, was incurable and she was told she would die. Nina’s type of cancer is known to be rare and disproportionately occurs in women from ethnic backgrounds.
Yesterday, family took to her social media account to share the devastating news that Nina had died on Sunday, adding that she leaves behind her daughter Ilani, 13, and countless loved ones and supporters. They wrote: “It is with deep sadness to share the news that our beautiful Nina passed away peacefully on Sunday 24th November.
“To know Nina was to know what it truly means to live life to the full. She taught us to find joy in the small stuff and she was the light that we followed. By sharing her story she will have saved so many lives and because of that her legacy will be enormous.
“Nina, we love you. For the lasting love and inspiration you brought into our lives, thank you. Nina, you were a beautiful mother to Ilani and you were the world to the rest of us. How lucky the world was to have you in it.
“We are all processing the news and we will let everyone know how they can celebrate all that Nina has achieved in her life in due course. But now, darling Nina, dance on your beach at last.”
Just days before her death, Nina was doing what she did best – drawing attention to the condition in an interview for The Times. She explained how she started her Instagram account during a high point after being told the cancer had gone. The account was a celebration of the return of her stunning afro, which she described as her “identity”. She said: “While I had learnt to fall in love with the new version of me, I wanted to present a positive narrative of cancer through its regrowth. There was nothing out there for young women in my position, particularly women who look like me. I wanted to create a curly-haired community.”
Her hopeful message and style saw her quickly propelled into content creation fame, with fashion brands and cancer charities getting in touch to ask to work with her.
She told the paper she considers herself a “delusional hopeful”, and at the time of the article had not made any plans for her funeral. She used the opportunity to deliver a message to Wes Streeting, the UK health secretary, saying: “The screening age for breast cancer needs to be brought down — 50 is too old. There is an explosion of UK women presenting younger and screening should start at 40, preferably 35. I know women with breast cancer in their twenties, and one who is just 18.
“Alongside sex education in schools we should teach girls — and boys — how to check for breast cancer. I’ve already taught Ilani how to check hers. Catching it early can result in women living five, ten, even twenty years longer.’
