‘I don’t want to give cancer power’
TV presenter Sarah Beeny, who was diagnosed last August after finding a lump, is determined to be more than just a breast cancer story.
“It’s so important to be proactive, I have a whole life to live now,” Sarah, 51, tells us. “Any of us could be dead tomorrow – I say take opportunities because you’re a long time sleeping.”
She says she’s ready to close her cancer chapter once and for all but also admits it can be tough striking the perfect balance between living life on full throttle and learning to slow down.
“I’m not very good at turning down opportunities for anything or anyone. If something’s even a little tempting, I’ll say yes.”
This determination has always been a part of who Sarah is and now she’s adamant that her own cancer story will be one of triumph over tragedy.
“Honestly, the first thing the doctors say is, ‘You’ve got cancer, but you’re not going to die,’ and you hear, ‘What sort of coffin do you want?’ It takes a while for you to get your head around that’s not actually what they’re saying.”
Hearing her diagnosis was heartbreaking, but with a likely 80% treatable outcome, she focused on staying strong for husband Graham Swift and their teenage sons Billy, Charlie, Rafferty and Laurie.
“I don’t want to give cancer that power. The only thing strong enough to change me is my kids – why should it be cancer?” Sarah adds. Admitting that she realises she’s incredibly fortunate to be in the position she’s in now – having been given the all-clear in April – Sarah is thankful that treatment has come a long way. “Compared to 40 years ago, it’s incredible – who knows where we’ll be in another 40?” she says.
“The whole journey has made me less fearful of things in life.
I put some ogres to bed, but it hasn’t changed me at all. It’s just a blip, just a moment.
“I wouldn’t want cancer to be the thing responsible for changing me. I’d like to think it’s more irrelevant than that.”
The Simple Life:
How I Found Home by Sarah Beeny (Seven Dials) is out now in hardback, ebook and on audio download