FANS SHARE OWN CANCER BATTLES
AGIRLS Aloud fan living with advanced breast cancer has sent her support to Sarah Harding after it was revealed she was battling the disease.
The 38- year- old singer took to Twitter yesterday to announce she had been diagnosed with the illness earlier in the year and had recently learned it had spread to other parts of her body.
Susan McBride, who was diagnosed with the illness five years ago, has urged the star to keep fighting, saying positivity is “the key”.
The 56- year- old, from Airdrie, said: “I was shocked. I remember going to see Girls Aloud when I was a bit younger, I love their stuff, and I was just shocked, but she can do this.
“You really are scared, and I know that young girl will be the same, but if she gets all the support she will get through it and live with it.
“I’m living with it and I’ve had a really good life, a brilliant life, and done things I never thought I would do.
“You just have to stay positive – that’s the big secret.”
Mum- of- two Susan admits she was devastated when she was told her cancer was incurable in October 2015.
But, after speaking with her family, she found a way to cope with the disease.
“My cancer became the Joker and chemo became Batman,” she said.
“That was my way of making it fun. Cancer isn’t fun, but I had to find a way to make it fun. After a couple of months of thinking about it that way the ‘ why me’ became ‘ why not me’ because I realised I could help people.
“It’s scary all the way through but I thought ‘ you’re not going to win, I’m going to prove you can live with cancer’. I’ll be living with it for 20 years.”
The singer said she was “undergoing weekly chemotherapy sessions” and “fighting as hard as” possible.
Rachel Glue was just 32- yearsold when she discovered a lump while working as a designer in Hong Kong.
She understands the long road Sarah has in front of her, after enduring a double mastectomy, rallied through rigorous rounds of chemotherapy and recovered from serious reconstruction surgery from her own body fat.
The now 35- year- old, who has since returned to Glasgow, will remain on medication for the next few years.
But, she believes it was her determination which saw her through her darkest moments.
She said: “My diagnosis was a complete shock to the system.
“I was in a completely different country and was fit and healthy.
“It can happen at any point in time, you just don’t think it’s going to happen to you.”
She added: “As soon as I was told I went into survival mode, I’m quite a determined person and thought of it sort of like a job and I imagine Sarah would have a similar approach.”