Cancer nurse: I’m not letting disease beat me .. I need to be here for kids
Defiant Sarah’s vow after being diagnosed with incurable condition
A NURSE with incurable cervical cancer has vowed to defy expectations and fight on for her two young kids.
Sarah McCann, 35, works as a lead advanced nurse practitioner for active oncology at the Beatson in Glasgow and has dedicated her life to helping others battle the disease.
But the brave mum says despite being aware of her prognosis, she is confident she will defy expectations in her fight to see her children grow up.
Sarah, from Paisley, said: “I understand what terminal means but for me I can’t lie about it and think, ‘This is my life ending’.
“I am very strong-willed and I am stubborn. I’ve got two kids. I still need to be a mum and I’ve got a lot to do.
“I am not going anywhere until I’m confident my kids will be able to deal with life. I’m teaching them how because life can be s**t and it is hard but it is also beautiful.
“I might have cancer but I’m not sick – I’m up and active. There are people out there who live well beyond their prognosis. My life will be on my terms, not cancer’s terms.”
Mum to Marc, 10, and Emily, four, Sarah was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2018 and has since had a radical hysterectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy to treat the disease. But despite having been in remission and regular check-ups coming back clear, she discovered a new lump in her neck in March. Her fears that the cancer had returned were confirmed after tests. Sarah has since changed her lifestyle dramatically. She is weight training at the gym and has cut out sugar, dairy, alcohol and red meat from her diet while she undergoes chemo and takes a biologically targeted drug. She has told how she’s been inspired by Jane McLelland’s book How to Starve Cancer and says she is focusing on the beauty of living through every day. Determined to remain positive, Sarah added: “Nobody can ever prepare you for the emotional rollercoaster of having cancer. “But I don’t show people when I’m feeling down because I know it affects them and I don’t like that.” Sarah, who lost her mum to cancer in 2019, will document her journey on Instagram and hopes she can inspire people recently diagnosed with cancer. Her journey can be followed on @sadieican.