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Sarah Ferguson admitted that she almost canceled the potentially life-saving doctors appointment that led to her breast cancer diagnosis.
In a new episode of her podcast, “Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah,” Ferguson shared details about the diagnosis just hours after revealing she had a mastectomy.
“It was after a bank holiday, and I live in this area — in the Windsor area — and it was a hot day, and I didn’t feel like going to London. It’s easy to put it off — ‘I’ll do it next week,’” The Duchess of York explained.
However, the 63-year-old said her “wonderful” sister, Jane Ferguson Luedecke, was the one that convinced her to go.
“I always normally do what she says because she gets so cranky. She said, ‘No, go. I need you to go. I need you to go.’”
Once she, begrudgingly, arrived at the routine mammogram appointment, her doctor noticed a small shadow — which indicated cancerous cells.
“Had it not been for that extraordinary — they put an injection in you, contrast and it shows the contrast, and it shows them where to go — if I hadn’t had done that … it was only a shadow,” Ferguson explained.
“They wouldn’t have found out that it needs to be immediately sorted,” the mother of two continued.
The entire experience brought back memories of late father Ronald Ferguson’s own battle with prostate cancer.
“My father died of prostate cancer, and it was very interesting because he went on the radio and he said on the radio, ‘Please, please, please go and get checked,’” she recalled.
“It doesn’t matter. Go and get checked. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. Don’t say it’s not going to happen to you. Doesn’t matter if you feel fine. Cancer can be so silent. Such a silent little hiding thing which hides in the cells.”
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Despite the scary time, the “Her Heart for a Compass” author is trying to focus on the positives.
“I’m taking this as a real gift to me to change my life, to nurture myself,” she said. “To stop trying to fix everyone else.”
The episode, which was taped ahead of Sarah’s surgery, came out just hours after her diagnosis was revealed to the public.
“She was advised she needed to undergo surgery, which has taken place successfully,” her spokesman told BBC News, adding that the prognosis is good.
The rep added that Sarah received “the best medical care and … is now recuperating with her family.”
