How Sara and the dog she dotes on both fought breast cancer – at the same time
WHEN her beloved dog was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, all Sara Page could think about was making sure her pet enjoyed the time she had left.
Little did she imagine that she would soon be battling the disease alongside her.
Mrs Page, 54, was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer just months after being told that border collie-labrador cross Freyja didn’t have long left to live.
The pair fought the disease side by side, keeping each other going through their toughest times – and four years on, both have defied the odds to survive.
Mrs Page now believes Freyja helped save her life, and thinks the dog’s determination to support her owner helped her overcome her vet’s dire prognosis.
Mrs Page – who lives in Cornwall with her husband Rob, 44 – first noticed a lump by one of the dog’s nipples while giving her a rub on the tummy. The vet said it was probably a cyst and told her to keep an eye on it. But a few weeks later, she noticed Freyja, then six, had a few more small lumps. Tests confirmed the dog had breast cancer, which had spread to her lymph nodes.
Because the disease was so advanced, further treatment was not an option, and Mrs Page was told Freyja had just six months left to live.
‘It was so hard to keep happy as I was heartbroken at the thought of losing her,’ Mrs Page said. ‘But we spoilt her rotten and loved her with all our hearts. Every day we thought to ourselves, “Could this be her last?” and were determined to make the best of it for her. She deserved it.’
Six months later, though, Freyja still had a healthy appetite, bags of energy and had not lost any weight. She had surgery to remove further tumours, which were found to be benign, although vets warned the cancer was still in her lymph nodes.
Mrs Page had not yet been diagnosed with cancer herself. But one day the dog jumped up and knocked her breast – reminding her she had to book a breast screening. Women are automatically invited to book a mammogram every three years after the age of 50.
Mrs Page said: ‘We were watching TV when a cat appeared on the screen and Freyja went crazy. She jumped up and was barking like mad, but when she did that she caught my left breast with her paw.
‘I thought to myself, “I must chase up about my mammogram.” I’d spoken to the doctor the month before asking when I could have it done. Perhaps Freyja was reminding me to demand to get it done.’ She said Freyja’s reminder helped her catch the cancer earlier, giving her a better chance of fighting it.
In May 2015, she received the devastating news that she had an aggressive tumour in her left breast. Doctors said she needed surgery to remove it, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy. ‘It didn’t feel fair to be diagnosed so soon after Freyja,’ Mrs Page said.
‘It was such a shock and so devastating. I lost my hair and felt really, really down and was either in the hospital or at home. But Freyja was my saviour.
‘She never left my side. We even took her to my radiotherapy and chemotherapy sessions, and Rob walked her whilst I had my treatment. It was really comforting knowing she was there too.’
Now Mrs Page believes her loyal pet defied her six-month prognosis to help her to get better. She said: ‘I really believe dogs have a sixth sense. I think Freyja survived so she could stick around and help get me through my cancer battle.’
Mrs Page, a property restorer who served in the US Air Force, has now been given the all clear. She is not alone in her gratitude to her pet – 69 per cent of owners say their pet has helped them through a difficult period, according to research by pet store Pets at Home and Petplan insurance.
As for Freyja, Mrs Page said: ‘She still has cancer, but is not showing any signs of it. She survived against the odds. She really is the dog who lived.’
‘She never left my side’