Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was diagnosed weeks ago, and she already had an operation to remove the cancer. Given how much media Sarah has done in recent months, I’m a little bit surprised that she’s only talking about it now, although her statement says that she was only “recently” diagnosed. Obviously, our thoughts are with her – f–k cancer and f–k breast cancer.
Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson has been diagnosed with breast cancer, PEOPLE can confirm. A representative for the Duchess of York, 63, tells PEOPLE, “Sarah, Duchess of York was recently diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer detected at a routine mammogram screening. She was advised she needed to undergo surgery, which has taken place successfully.”
“The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family, the rep continues. “The Duchess wants to express her immense gratitude to all the medical staff who have supported her in recent days.”
“She is also hugely thankful to the staff involved in the mammogram which identified her illness, which was otherwise symptom free, and believes her experience underlines the importance of regular screening,” adds the representative.
The spokesman also tells PEOPLE that the Duchess recorded a podcast episode the day before she went in for surgery, which is set to be released early Monday morning.
This is why routine mammograms are important! And it absolutely sounds like the doctors found it early. What a trooper – she recorded a pod before her surgery, and I bet she’s up and about already… at Royal Lodge, where she lives with her ex-husband. While I wish Fergie the best of health and I hope they removed all of the cancer, there is part of me which wonders if Prince Andrew will use Fergie’s diagnosis as a “reason” for why they need to stay at Royal Lodge. I doubt it will even come to that – King Charles really doesn’t have much of an appetite to evict them anyway.
The Mail reports that Fergie had a single mastectomy. My God. Poor woman.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- The Andrew Martin Interior Designer of the Year Award Featuring: Sarah Duchess of York Where: London, United Kingdom When: 17 Oct 2022 Credit: PinPep/Cover Images **EDITORIAL USE ONLY**
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- Sarah Ferguson Spotted Leaving Loulou’s After A Quick Dinner Featuring: Sarah Ferguson Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 28 Feb 2023 Credit: Blitz Pictures/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North/South America and Australia Rights Only**
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- Sarah Ferguson arrives at ‘The View’ studios Featuring: Sarah Ferguson Where: New York, New York, United States When: 08 Mar 2023 Credit: Roger Wong/INSTARimages
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- Sarah Ferguson Duchess Of York On ‘The View’ Featuring: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York Where: New York, New York, United States When: 08 Mar 2023 Credit: Janet Mayer/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images
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- UK premiere of Marlowe at Vue West End in London. Featuring: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York Where: London, United Kingdom When: 16 Mar 2023 Credit: Matt Crossick/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Partial or full mastectomy?
Anyway, my wish for her is full remission. I’m glad they caught it early.
I doubt she is up and around. I have a lumpectomy last week and I still feel like crap. It’s a painful surgery.
Yeah, I had a partial mastectomy and removal of axillary lymph nodes under my arm in 2016 and had to have a ghastly drainage tube from my armpit for 2 weeks. I felt crappy for weeks as well. Wishing you lots of luck in your recovery @Tacky.
I was actually going to say, I wonder if this is why they haven’t been evicted or will be the story anyways.
This could also explain why (her daughters or whoever) bought her the $1m place in London as she is getting treatments in London.
I thought Fergie purchased the flat last year.
People were wondering where the money came from. It was suspected to be bought for Beatrice and Eugenie from their trust fund.
Another interesting point is that her announcement was on all the front pages and eclipsed William’s announcement about his ‘Homewards’ homelessness project. Only The Telegraph had William on the front page, all the others went with Fergie’s news.
Fergie is clever she plays the long game, I am pretty sure she loathes William but she knows how to pretend and survive.
Also well done that she made the announcement, royals are usually secretive about their illnesses.
I wish her good health. I’m not fond of her support for Andrew, but wouldn’t want anyone to have cancer.
Hope she gets a speedy recovery, love that she kept working , can only imagine it was good to take her head out of it.
She had a mastectomy on one side. That’s a bad sign. I know a few women that have had breast cancer detected at varying stages and the ones that had their breasts removed were in more advanced stages then those that had lumpectomies or radiation and chemo. The aftermath is not pleasant either. Hormone suppressants, possible edema if lymph nodes removed. It’s awful. Poor Sarah. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
It depends. I have 2 friends who were in very early stages but chose mastectomies because of their family histories of breast cancer. In any case, I wish Sarah all the best in her recovery.
Exactly this. Several of my mother’s relatives died of cancer. When my mother found a lump in her breast, she told the doctor she wanted a full mastectomy if the lump proved cancerous (thankfully, it was benign). She wanted to reduce the chance of the cancer recurring.
Have to disagree with this. I’m the UK & working for the NHS: we more often than not carry out full mastectomies. The stats show that lumpectomies are less efficient in terms of remission. I had a single mastectomy seven years ago & so far am fine.
Would agree though that it’s a horrific operation to go through – seems mediaeval in its brutality & is astonishingly painful for quite some time after.
Not necessarily, I had a partial which included removing the nipple to get at all the nasty stuff and then took about 3/4 of the remaining breast BECAUSE it was the second occurrence. Then I had reconstruction during the same surgery and a reduction on the other breast at the same time. I am fine and she will be too. My only advice is if you are large breasted get a reduction after you have children, if you you want them. Breast cancer loves fat and our breasts become fat pockets over time. Fergie is resilient and mental attitude in important . She will live to horrify and delight us all another day.
I have a friend just diagnosed with stage zero and she’s having the affected breast removed entirely. Her doctors aren’t recommending any further treatment and have told her this is just a blip.
That’s just not true. Mastectomies are performed for a variety of diagnoses. Some women choose them. I had a bilateral one myself last year. Only one side had breast cancer but I opted to get both taken. My choice. Also, not all breast cancer recovery involves hormone treatment. Not everyone has hormone receptor positive breast cancer. And lastly, even advanced stage breast cancer is curable.
I was diagnosed with stage 0 DCIS in November of 2021. I ended up have 6 surgeries to address it. I did a lumpectomy in Dec 2021, but that missed it on two sides because it was large. Had a unilateral mastectomy in Feb 2022. Needed two surgeries after that to remove dead tissue and one to take out the expander after I got an infection. Had JP drains for 7 weeks and went back to work with them. July 26, 2022 I had DIEP flap reconstruction with emergency surgery the next day because I had bleeding in my belly they had to tie off. Just had a breast lift on my left side to make get match the new perky boob. It’s a hell of a journey and I wish Fergie the best.
Agreeing with the others. This is not true.
I had a double mastectomy a year ago tomorrow! I chose double (symmetry, high family history), but it wasn’t required. Also, at a certain age, they seem to do more of the single mastectomies.
Please remember that people who see these comments might be going through their own journey with this, and dramatic predictions and horror stories are very unhelpful. Medical decisions are very complex, and that’s why they should be done with a woman and her doctor. I’m just asking that we be thoughtful and considerate.
I had early stage breast cancer requiring a single mastectomy. I had a hunch and got both removed (immediate reconstructive using autologous flap). The good folk at Mayo analyzed tissues in both breast and my hunch was good; they found cancer in my “good breast”. I will be forever grateful that I a) had a routine mammogram which detected it and b) listened to my gut and had both removed.
My heart aches though for those going through surgeries and treatment. It’s a vile disease.
breast Cancer survivor here. I had a partial mastectomy, and I am seriously looking into getting a full – not because of fear or risk, but I was not able to get reconstruction, so I have to wear a prosthesis. However, for comfort, I would rather not wear any at all. With Sarah, it .. sounds like surgery was all that was needed? (I had 8 rounds of chemo and 25 of radiation with chemo together). I don’t wish that on anyone. F#ck cancer!
In 1983 I had lumpectomy, axillary dissection, and 62 rounds of radiation (more than is rec’d now.) In 2008 I had a recurrence inside the lumpectomy scar. Got double mastectomy, very heavy-duty chemo (Tamoxifen + Carboplaten) 1 year of Herceptin, 5 years of oral aromatase inhibitors.
I’m still thankfully ok except for the chronic renal disease stage 4 caused by the carboplaten, but this is not a fun deal.
Good luck to Fergie. She’ll shill this for more money – books, tv, etc.
Elsewhere in the *Mail* piece, it days she had a double mastectomy.
So who knows!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery for her.
All the best to Fergie.
Wishing her all the best for a swift recovery.
I had a lumpectomy 20 years ago with radiation only. It wasn’t painful and the only time I felt bad was towards the end of radiation treatment. It has a cumulative effect. Then 15 years later it appeared again in situ in the same breast and I thought oh that’s not too bad I can handle that again. But no you can’t have radiation on the same spot you’ve already had treated. That was in 2019 and I’m still bothered by scar tissue and the implant they put there looks and feels like they stuck a tennis ball cut in half under my skin. I wanted to take a pass on it – it took 15 years to reappear in situ! I stalled and delayed at every step but in the end they harassed and scared me enough to have the operation. (Both times it was stage zero cancer and I asked if we could wait and watch it.)
Wishing Fergie the best.
My best friend had a double mastectomy. I always knew they were bad but until I was talking with her I had no idea all the side effects and results. Like how it’s affected all the muscles in her midsection because of the loss of structure. God women who undergo this are TOUGH.
Best wishes to Fergie. For all her faults she’s clearly well loved by her daughters. I’m sure they want her to be there to see her grandchildren grow up. This must’ve been a lot for Eugenie coming at the end of her pregnancy/postpartum period. Your hormones are all over the place. Hopefully the new baby, august and sienna are brightening things up for them all.
I don’t think we’re tough – we did it because we had to. What’s the alternative after all. You’d have to be tough to say no thanks, no mastectomies for me. I sat on the sofa for a month crying because of the nerve pain & still seven years later if I lift something heavy the wrong way I get muscle pain in my back where the muscles were traumatised all those years ago. It’s a brutal op & they don’t warn you how long it will take to feel human again. & as for reconstruction – bloody hell.
So really not tough – pragmatic maybe.
Pip, I’ve had a similar reaction to being called “brave” as a cancer patient- people of course mean well and are being kind but I always think “well you don’t get a choice, it’s not like being an aid worker or risking your life to save someone”. You get the dx and then you just kind of fall into the system and do what the docs tell you so I’m never really sure where the bravery comes in. (I’m so nitpicky, lol!)
@Pip — yeah, reconstruction was effing awful. I opted for DIEP Flap reconstruction where they basically do a tummy tuck and use the harvested skin and tissue to build a new breast. That was far worse than the actual partial mastectomy. Wishing you well.
I was diagnosed BRCA1 positive last year and had a full mastectomy with DIEP Flap reconstruction and then, three months later, I had a Supra-cervical hysterectomy removing both ovaries and tubes. It kicked me into surgical menopause at age 42, and I would do it all over again tomorrow as it took my breast cancer chance from 80% down to 2% and my Ovarian cancer risk down to 0%.
I’m still in physical therapy, but overall feeling pretty great.
@Ripley — best of luck in your recovery!
My mum died from breast cancer. Please ladies let this be a warning to check regularly for ANY lumps.
I hope Fergie has a speedy recovery.
And get that regular mammogram, at whatever schedule is appropriate for you.
Wishing Sarah as full and fast a recovery as possible 💗, loving support vibes to her daughters as well
I wish her all the best. May she be well! This must be very stressful for her daughters on top of all the horrors perpetrated by their father.
Wishing her a full and speedy recovery.
Cancer really sucks. I hope she had genetic testing. Wish her well.
My mom had breast cancer (stage 4) when I was 16 and is a 30-year survivor. I had the genetic testing because we also have a family history of that and other reproductive cancers and was so glad to get a negative screening. My older sister is having it done, too (this reminds me to nag her, lol). My ob/gyn recommended having it done because if you have a family history, having it documented makes it easier to push through advanced testing and have insurance accept it if it’s ever indicated after routine screening.
Mom had a modified radical mastectomy and 6 months (I think?) of chemo sessions and the recovery was BRUTAL. I remember helping her change the dressings after her surgery and both of us crying.
So glad Fergie is recovering, and yes F*CK CANCER to the nth degree. Please take care of yourselves, Celebitches. It’s so important.
That’s incredible. As a more recent “survivor,” I love reading things like this.
I’m sorry to hear this, and I hope Sarah makes a full recovery and lives well into her 90s.
On a side note, one of the Sussex Squad tweeters said she was expecting an announcement regarding a royal’s health, but not this royal. It made me wonder if there was something going on with Edward after all.
Everyone fighting cancer and their loved ones have my complete support.
F Cancer.
I had a partial mastectomy and removal of the axillary lymph nodes in 2016 after finding a small lump. The type of cancer I had, mucinous carcinoma, is less aggressive than other cancer types and rarely metastasizes, so I got lucky. I opted to not have radiation or go on tamoxifen, but to go on a intensive monitoring program. Early monitoring is crucial so do a weekly self-examination and get your mammos. To all of you who have been through breast cancer, you have my utmost admiration and respect!
HeyKay, thanks. That includes my husband, who has the horrible illness. I always like your posts, which are so insightful and compassionate. Also, you are one year younger than me (and my husband), which I appreciate among all these youngsters! The best to you always.