Sarah Ferguson describes her breast cancer as a ‘huge friend’ who she considers a ‘shield’.
Earlier this month, it emerged that the Duchess of York, 63, had been diagnosed with the disease and underwent a successful single mastectomy at London’s King Edward VII Hospital.
Recovering at home at Royal Lodge in Windsor, where she lives with ex-husband Prince Andrew, she has the full support of her family.
He discussed the diagnosis while speaking on his new podcast Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah, which was released today.
He said: ‘I really feel that it’s really exciting, about having this great friend with me, who is now my friend, to such an extent that I feel like a shield, like I’ve got a shield of protection, because it feels like it must be said, “We got it”.’
Sarah Ferguson, 63, describes her breast cancer as a ‘huge friend’ who she considers a ‘shield’
While recording the episode, she said that she was enjoying watching Wimbledon and had received hundreds of letters from people who had ‘expressed kindness’ to her.
The Duchess also said she believes in ‘expression’ and ‘the power of positive thinking’, adding: ‘I think there’s no question about that’.
Meanwhile the royal mother of two also discussed resilience with her co-host Sarah, adding that she has no regrets in her life.
He said: ‘I look back and I learn. I move on and I grow up.’
‘I’m resilient and I’ve learned but I don’t regret it, and so I’m deeply sorry if I’ve caused terrible pain to millions of people, hundreds or thousands or whatever I wanted to do.
‘I am deeply sorry for this as it was completely unintentional, and ignorance is ignorance when it comes to bad decisions.’
The Duchess’s cancer nightmare began two months ago when a routine test first detected that something was seriously wrong ahead of the coronation.
In early May, Sarah attended an appointment for a mammogram in London. As expected, instead of giving the all-clear, the technician explained that a ‘shadow’ could be seen on the breast.
Speaking on her new podcast Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah, which was released today, she discussed the diagnosis.
A source close to the Duchess told the Mail on Sunday: ‘Most people usually associate breast cancer with lumps but that’s not always the case.
‘A lump could be detected by the patient, but it was a ‘shadow’, undetectable because it was a widespread spread of cancer cells that could be picked up by screening.
‘In Sarah’s case, a biopsy was taken from the shadowed area of tissue and the results came back a few days later to confirm the diagnosis – breast cancer.’
Given the size of the area, a lumpectomy was ruled out and Sarah was strongly advised to have a single mastectomy, which would eliminate the shadow of cancer cells across the breast. Sarah was said to be devastated but determined to go ahead with a mastectomy as soon as possible, telling friends she had ‘no choice’ but to have the operation.
Christina Choi was the surgeon who performed the mastectomy.
Once this was completed, consultant plastic surgeon Stuart James, who was once hailed as one of the country’s top breast doctors by Tatler magazine, then took over to perform the breast reconstruction using the ‘DIEP flap’ technique. Coincidentally, Mr James is acquainted with Prince William.
In 2013 the heir to the throne attended an operating theater at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea where Mr James explained the breast reconstruction procedure.
The special procedure is so complicated that only highly skilled surgeons are allowed to perform it.
Fergie previously spoke of how Beatrice and Eugenie reacted to her diagnosis, saying it was ‘scary’ for the whole family.
It involves making an incision in the abdomen and taking fat from the abdomen to form a new breast.
Experts say it can take more than six hours because it involves microvascular surgery that involves cutting and reattaching 2mm of delicate blood vessels.
But the Duchess endured a punishing eight-hour operation as surgeons battled breast cancer.
This month, The Mail on Sunday revealed the full extent of her grueling ordeal, which included four days in intensive care at a private hospital where the Duchess was monitored around the clock.
A friend of the Duchess, who is now back at home, said: ‘The operation was very long – lasting eight hours – and it was more involved than people realised. Today, the message he wants to get out is that he is very grateful to those who saved him and feels very lucky to be alive.
‘In particular, the Duchess would like to thank the two incredible surgeons Christina Choy and Stuart James who carried out the operation and all the medical team who worked tirelessly to help her.’
The 63-year-old was diagnosed with the disease and underwent a successful single mastectomy at London’s King Edward VII Hospital.
But the length of the general anesthetic took its toll on Sarah Ferguson, whose vital signs were monitored for four days in intensive care.
He told friends he faces a ‘long road’ to recovery but is determined to ‘beat it’.
Her younger daughter, Princess Eugenie, has ‘dropped everything’ to help look after her mother while sister Princess Beatrice is said to be a frequent visitor and ‘constantly on the phone’.
Andrew stepped in to help and friends and family rallied around to deliver hot meals and run errands.
A Buckingham Palace source confirmed the monarch had also written to her former sister-in-law, sending her best wishes for a speedy recovery.
A palace insider said the Yorks’ plans to move out of Royal Lodge and into Frogmore Cottage, Harry and Meghan’s former home, have been ‘quietly shelved’ for now.
The Duchess would like to thank the two incredible surgeons Christina Choi and Stuart James who performed the operation and all the medical team who worked tirelessly to help her.
Andrew stepped in to help and friends and family rallied around to deliver hot meals and run errands
The Duchess of York, whose stepfather Hector Barentes died of lymphatic cancer in 1990 aged 51, has long been a champion for charities working to fight the disease.
In November of that year he opened a specialist cancer unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Since then, Sarah has become a patron of the charity, attending the opening of almost all of the charity’s new units. Over the years, both her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie have joined their mother in supporting the charity.
Sarah said both princesses spent their 18th birthdays visiting the teenage cancer unit.
Revealing her own cancer battle before her operation, Sarah said on her podcast: ‘I volunteered to work for the Teenage Cancer Trust… because my stepdad died of cancer.
‘He was a wonderful man. I adored him.’
A source said that, after a period of recovery, the Duchess intends to ‘spread the word’ and work to raise awareness of the importance of early cancer detection.
He told his podcast: ‘I’m telling people over there to go check. Go get screened. go do it I’m not just talking about breast cancer, I’m talking about all cancers.’