June 26th 2023.
Susanna Reid has praised Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, for speaking out about her breast cancer diagnosis this week. Sarah revealed that she had found out about her cancer after a routine mammogram, despite having no symptoms. She was discharged from a London hospital on Sunday and is now recovering with her family in Windsor.
On Good Morning Britain, Susanna reflected on Sarah's experience. She said: “This morning we want to send our best wishes to the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, because she has revealed – this has come as quite a shock – that she’s undergone surgery because of breast cancer. It was a routine mammogram on a Tuesday two weeks ago, she said on her podcast. She’s now out of surgery, but that’s remarkably fast, isn’t it? Two weeks ago she had the mammogram, she said she was reluctant to go, it’s been very hot weather, it was a bit of an inconvenience, her sister said, ‘You have to go.’”
Susanna went on to explain that Sarah Ferguson's diagnosis had been a wake-up call for her. She said: “I think the reason that she’s open about this is she wants this to be a wake-up call to people. I hadn’t realised, that there was a change in policy and screening, around seven months ago, back in September, where appointments used to be sent out for mammograms, now it’s an invitation, apparently, to make an appointment. As a result, around, just in London, 12,000 women are estimated to have missed out on breast screenings because of that new open invitations system. Now, I received one of those letters, an invitation to go. And, of course, what have I done? Absolutely nothing. I haven’t booked in a mammogram. And I’m 52.”
Susanna then implored other women to get screened, saying: “I absolutely should take that up. I think there will be a lot of women this morning, finding out what has happened to Sarah Ferguson, feeling the same way I did – there isn’t really a firm appointment, I haven’t got time to make one, who will be thinking differently.”
The Duchess of York is also encouraging others to get screenings as a just in case. On her podcast, she said: “Cancer can be so silent. Such a silent, silent little hiding thing that hides in the cells. Go and get screened. Go get checked. Don’t wait.”
Susanna then sent her best wishes to Sarah as she rests and recovers. Cameras then cut to correspondent Jonathan Swain in Windsor, who assured viewers that Sarah was in good hands. He said: “Doctors have said that the prognosis is good after she underwent surgery at King Edward VII hospital in London last week. She’s in good hands, of course, because that is a hospital that’s been looking after the Royal Family for decades.”
We wish Sarah Ferguson a speedy recovery and send our best wishes to her family. We also urge all women to make sure they are keeping up with their health screenings, as mentioned in the article above. If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information - you can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 , use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
