Sarah Ferguson's Double Cancer Diagnosis Influences Her Daughters To Fight For Young Victims
Sarah Ferguson's double cancer diagnosis has only fueled her desire to help others in similar situations, with her two daughters joining the noble cause.
The Duchess of York, nicknamed Fergie, is famous for her philanthropic efforts, including a decades-long dedication to the Teenage Cancer Trust. The foundation resonated deeply with the British Royal Family member, who continues to raise awareness for young people with cancer.
Sarah Ferguson gained her title following her then-marriage to Prince Andrew, Duke of York. She welcomed two daughters with her ex-husband, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who now support the cancer charity foundation.
Ferguson addressed her double cancer diagnosis in a recent interview, noting the heartbreaking news "felt like a death sentence." She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and underwent a single mastectomy before receiving a diagnosis of malignant melanoma six months later in January 2024.
However, the Duchess of York did not let her double diagnosis break her and channeled the negative energy into something positive. She focused on supporting young cancer victims through the Teenage Cancer Trust, which influenced her two daughters to support the charity.
She addressed her children's move to join her noble cause ahead of a joint outing with them to raise awareness for young people with cancer. "I was 63 when I was diagnosed with cancer for the first time, and cancer at any age is traumatic," Ferguson told The Times, adding:
"But as adults, we have maturity and life experience to help us advocate for ourselves and cope with challenges. We can seek help if we need it, and most importantly, your voices are, sadly, often taken more seriously."
Ferguson, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie shall visit teenage cancer victims at a facility in London on Wednesday, April 23. The proud mother noted the outing held a special place in her heart, not only because her children supported her goal but to raise awareness for the young souls suffering.
"It's incredibly important to me to seek to amplify the voices and experiences of people with cancer who receive less attention, whose voices are not listened to, and who can be overlooked," Ferguson explained.
She noted these young victims were "consistently neglected by those developing health plans and policies." Ferguson stressed that young people, especially teenagers and young adults, were disadvantaged.
"This is because they are more likely to experience rare cancers or are too old to take part in pediatric trials and too young for adult trials," she explained. "We must find solutions to these challenges and save more young lives."
While launching the new Youth Impact Council at New York Climate Week in September 2024, Ferguson opened up about her feelings following her double cancer diagnosis. At the time, she told PEOPLE, "I think that you never really get rid of the worry about health." Confessing further, she said:
"For every sort of melanoma, you never really know where it is. You look at everything, and you're certainly more aware. It's been an extraordinary journey to have gone through a mastectomy, and then you have to keep having checks, and then you think you're going to get it again. It's a lot of very fragile mind work."
She doubled down on her health battles, paving the way for understanding the struggles of younger victims, saying: "I think that also gives me empathy to understand the fragility of the mind. A lot of young people have fragile, vulnerable times, with cyberbullying and chronic cruelty from other people."
A year before her cancer awareness efforts with her daughters, The Blast covered Ferguson's reaction to King Charles and Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis. She applauded the duo for being honest about their experiences, noting:
"They are an example to all families going through their own journeys of health."
Kate's chemotherapy video struck a chord with Ferguson, who hailed the Princess of Wales for her moving words. "I love how the Princess reassured everyone, saying, I'm always there for you. I love that video. It was a beautiful video with beautiful words," the Duchess of York chimed.
Additionally, Ferguson reflected on King Charles' first public appearance after revealing his cancer diagnosis. He visited the Macmillan Cancer Centre at University College Hospital in London, with the Duchess labeling his move "very brave" and "very courageous."
Ferguson's sweet comments about King Charles and Kate might stem from the support she received following her second cancer diagnosis. After announcing her malignant melanoma, the monarch reportedly supported the Duchess of York by sending her a heartfelt letter.
At the time, a source claimed the move strengthened the bond between Ferguson and the King, saying: "The King and Sarah are incredibly fond of one another, and now they have bonded over their respective cancer diagnosis with an exchange of letters."
"Cancer is a wicked disease that affects so many individuals and their families, and it's clear that extra support from loved ones and the extended cancer community can help immeasurably," the source added.
Will more members of the Royal Family join Sarah Ferguson's efforts to raise awareness for young people with cancer?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Britain's FSA warns Jolly Rancher products 'unsafe to eat'
June 12 (UPI) -- British consumers and businesses are cautioned against buying sweets from US brand Hershey as they are "unsafe to eat," according to the Food Standards Agency. On Wednesday, the FSA listed Jolly Rancher products as a safety risk. They contain chemical compounds -- mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons, or MOAH, and mineral oil saturated hydrocarbon or MOSH. "MOAH can cause damage to DNA and has the potential to increase the risk of cancer, particularly if consumed in high quantities over a prolonged period of time. MOAH is a genotoxic carcinogen; therefore no exposure is without risk to human health", the FSA said. The sweets that the FSA is warning about include Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, Misfits Gummies, and Berry Gummies. "Food businesses selling these products in the UK are advised to immediately stop sales, undertake product withdrawals and where there have been retail sales, to undertake product recalls," the FSA said "This is because the products are unsafe and do not meet UK market legal requirements. The Hershey Company, who is the brand owner, has taken action to remove these products from the UK market". The agency recommended that anyone in possession of the products not eat them and throw them away.
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Britain's FSA warns Jolly Rancher products 'unsafe to eat'
June 12 (UPI) -- British consumers and businesses are cautioned against buying sweets from US brand Hershey as they are "unsafe to eat," according to the Food Standards Agency. On Wednesday, the FSA listed Jolly Rancher products as a safety risk. They contain chemical compounds -- mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons, or MOAH, and mineral oil saturated hydrocarbon or MOSH. "MOAH can cause damage to DNA and has the potential to increase the risk of cancer, particularly if consumed in high quantities over a prolonged period of time. MOAH is a genotoxic carcinogen; therefore no exposure is without risk to human health", the FSA said. The sweets that the FSA is warning about include Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, Misfits Gummies, and Berry Gummies. "Food businesses selling these products in the UK are advised to immediately stop sales, undertake product withdrawals and where there have been retail sales, to undertake product recalls," the FSA said "This is because the products are unsafe and do not meet UK market legal requirements. The Hershey Company, who is the brand owner, has taken action to remove these products from the UK market". The agency recommended that anyone in possession of the products not eat them and throw them away.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Council tax bills set to rise at fastest rate for two decades, economist warns
Council tax bills are set to rise at their fastest rate for two decades in the wake of Rachel Reeves' spending review, according to the head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Paul Johnson said that local government in England did 'perhaps a little bit better than it might have expected' out of the Chancellor's statement on Wednesday, but the 'sting in the tail' is the assumption that 'council tax bills will rise by 5% a year' as part of the funding. The core spending power of councils is set to increase by 2.6% a year from next year, and 'if English councils do choose 5% increases – and most almost certainly will – council tax bills look set to rise at their fastest rate over any parliament since 2001-05', Mr Johnson said on Thursday. On Wednesday, Ms Reeves said that ministers will not be 'going above' the 5% annual increases in council tax. She told ITV: 'The previous government increased council tax by 5% a year, and we have stuck to that. We won't be going above that. 'That is the council tax policy that we inherited from the previous government, and that we will be continuing.' The biggest winner from Wednesday's statement was the NHS, which will see its budget rise by £29 billion per year in real terms. Ruth Curtice, the chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, has said that Britain is turning into a 'National Health State'. Overnight, the think tank said Ms Reeves' announcements had followed a recent trend that saw increases for the NHS come at the expense of other public services. Ms Curtice said: 'Health accounted for 90% of the extra public service spending, continuing a trend that is seeing the British state morph into a National Health State, with half of public service spending set to be on health by the end of the decade.' Defence was another of Wednesday's winners, Ms Curtice said, receiving a significant increase in capital spending while other departments saw an overall £3.6 billion real-terms cut in investment. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) made similar arguments about 'substantial' investment in the NHS and defence coming at the expense of other departments, although Mr Johnson warned on Wednesday the money may not be enough. In his snap reaction to the review, Mr Johnson said: 'Aiming to get back to meeting the NHS 18-week target for hospital waiting times within this Parliament is enormously ambitious – an NHS funding settlement below the long-run average might not measure up. 'And on defence, it's entirely possible that an increase in the Nato spending target will mean that maintaining defence spending at 2.6% of GDP no longer cuts the mustard.' Ms Curtice added that low and middle-income families had also done well out of the spending review 'after two rounds of painful tax rises and welfare cuts', with the poorest fifth of families benefiting from an average of £1,700 in extra spending on schools, hospitals and the police. She warned that, without economic growth, another round of tax rises was likely to come in the autumn as the Chancellor seeks to balance the books. She said: 'The extra money in this spending review has already been accounted for in the last forecast. 'But a weaker economic outlook and the unfunded changes to winter fuel payments mean the Chancellor will likely need to look again at tax rises in the autumn.' Speaking after delivering her spending review, Ms Reeves insisted she would not have to raise taxes to cover her spending review. She told GB News: 'Every penny of this is funded through the tax increases and the changes to the fiscal rules that we set out last autumn.'
