Shakar: an Afghan woman's journey

Born in Afghanistan, Shakardokht Jafari became a refugee aged six, after a harrowing trek to Iran.

There she discovered she had been promised in marriage at birth to an older cousin.

She fought to choose her own husband, education and career, defying convention to study radiation technologies at university.Returning to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, she was asked to re-establish a cancer facility in Kabul, which meant studying for higher qualifications in the UK.

Her lawyer husband came to join her, driving a minicab to make ends meet.Having invented a method for delivering radiotherapy to cancer patients, Shakar has become one of Britain's leading medical entrepreneurs.

At the same time she faced one of her biggest battles - to save her own health.