DOCTOR COURAGE
Surgeon Sarah, 43 was diagnosed with terminal cancer but hid terrible secret from colleagues and kept saving lives of others until TWO DAYS before her death
TO HER colleagues and patients in the Highland hospital where she worked, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
However, 43-year-old doctor Sarah Prince was hiding a tragic secret – she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The respected surgeon carried on working at Belford Hospital in Fort William until two days before she died – having concealed her illness from all but close family and friends.
Now her husband, Dr Patrick Byrne, has revealed she was desperate to ‘preserve as much normality as possible’ – and save others from worrying.
Following Miss Prince’s funeral, colleagues, patients and friends have been paying tribute to the medic.
Dr Byrne, 43, a consultant physician and GP, said he was ‘overwhelmed’ by the outpouring of love and support.
He told The Scottish Mail on Sunday: ‘Sarah was taken from us too soon but I am so glad I had nine amazing years with her – six as husband and wife – rather than 40 mediocre years.
‘She was such a strong-willed, intelligent and caring person and will be missed by many, many people.
‘When we found out she had cancer in September we knew her prognosis was not good but she was determined to keep living as normal a life as possible. She was very clear that she didn’t want to tell people and I respected that. She was working until two days before she died and enjoyed the normality and the banter of her colleagues.’
Miss Prince, who worked at Belford for seven years, started to feel unwell in August and was diagnosed with terminal bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) in September.
Having trained in oncology, she was aware she only had weeks to live but got her affairs in order and made the decision to go back to work. Over the next eight weeks she continued to work at the hospital. She kept going, finally losing her fight for life on November 19 just two days after she made the decision to finally stop work.
Dr Byrne said: ‘I decided to post a public message on Facebook to notify people of her death the day after she died and people were understandably very shocked – but their support has been incredible.
‘I wanted to make the post public to make sure everyone who knew her could see she had died, but I did not expect it to be shared so many times.
‘I have been blown away by the hundreds of messages I have received from people who knew her – many of whom I have never met. Some were her friends, some former colleagues, some junior doctors who she trained up, some patients she had helped.
‘Their stories and anecdotes have given me and her family such comfort.’
Paying tribute to Miss Prince online, one junior doctor wrote: ‘I’m so very sorry to hear this,
‘Sarah was taken from us too soon’
she was a brilliant surgeon and an inspiration to young women doctors.’
A patient added: ‘Dr Prince was a wonderful doctor who had time to listen to her patients. She will be missed by many.’
The couple, who had been married for six years, moved from Cambridge to Fort William together in 2009.
‘Sarah jumped at the chance of moving to a rural hospital as it meant she would have a varied job and could see anyone who walked through the door. That is quite unusual as most surgeons have a particular specialism,’ Dr Byrne said.
‘She travelled the world speaking at conferences about the importance of maintaining skills in rural hospitals – it was something she was very passionate about.’
Gill McVicar, director of operations for NHS Highland’s north and west operational unit, paid tribute to the ‘gifted and dedicated surgeon’.
She said: ‘I was greatly saddened to hear of her death. Sarah was a gifted, skilled and dedicated surgeon, whose contribution to healthcare in Lochaber has been immense.
‘She was enthusiastic and deeply committed to the support and development of trainees and colleagues. Sarah’s friends and colleagues are devastated by her loss, she will be greatly missed.
‘Our thoughts are with Patrick, their families and friends.’