Sarah Harding prompted Aberdeen woman to seek cancer help

Kimberley Forsyth had just turned 38 on August 25 last year and was anxious after finding a lump in her breast when she noticed Sarah’s post at the top of her Twitter feed.

She recalls”feeling sick” as she read how the singer had delayed seeking help and called her GP a few days later. Within a few weeks she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.

The 39-year-old, who lives in Aberdeen, is doing well - her cancer was contained and successfully removed - but it will be March before she finishes almost 18 months of gruelling treatment for the disease.

She says she wouldn’t have coped with her diagnosis, in the social isolation of the pandemic, without the emotional and practical support of Macmillan nurses. The news of Sarah’s death was hard to take, she says, given the personal link.

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The charity has warned that Scotland is facing a cancer nurse timebomb with hundreds of extra staff required to meet a projected 23% rise in cases by the end of the decade as new detections reach 46,000.

Macmillan say specialist cancer nurses are already stretched too thin and shortages are resulting in "serious consequences" for patients.

Polling by the charity found a quarter of those diagnosed with cancer in Scotland in the past five years lacked specialist cancer nursing support.

One in 10 experienced at least one serious medical implication as a result such as ending up in A&E or not knowing if they were taking their medication correctly.

Patients were more likely to have doubts about whether it was worth having their treatment, or even suicidal thoughts.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that I couldn’t have done it without them,” said Ms Forsyth, who works for the city’s health and social care partnership.

READ MORE: Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding dies of cancer at 39 

“I knew the lump was there but hadn’t done anything about it.  Then the day after my birthday she (Sarah Harding) put out a tweet. When I saw that I just felt sick. I knew she was the same age as me.”

She says she delayed telling her parents over that weekend because she didn’t want to cast a shadow over their 40th wedding anniversary celebrations but called her GP soon after on August 31.

She was referred for a scan and was told by a consultant, with a Macmillan nurse present, that there was a likelihood it was cancer and her stage 3 diagnosis was confirmed on October 1.

Doctors initially thought it was triple negative breast cancer, which has a poorer prognosis that other forms of the disease but this was later ruled out.

However, she was told it was very aggressive and that chemotherapy would be required "immediately".

She had six rounds, followed by surgery to remove the tumour and then 15 successive days of radiotherapy.

She is now on a maintenance chemotherapy treatment, which will continue until March.

“The cancer is gone but it doesn’t stop," said Ms Forsyth.

“I think because every knew Sarah’s story had a hand in mind they were all getting in touch which is lovely but it’s overwhelming.”

READ MORE: Glasgow doctor's cry for help as Scotland dominates European Covid hotspot list 

Ms Forsyth, who is divorced and one of eight in her family, is thankful she was able to undergo fertility treatment ahead of starting treatment. “I now have some eggs in the freezer for a rainy day,” she said.

“If I hadn’t called when I did, it was that aggressive. I’m just so fortunate that I was seen quickly.

The support of Macmillan nurses took on an greater significance at the height of the pandemic when patients were unable to take relatives or friends to appointments.

A new  report by the charity estimates 348 additional cancer nurse specialists will be needed in Scotland by 2030 to ensure cancer patients get the care and support they need.

This is on top of potentially replacing 182 specialist cancer nurses - almost half of the workforce – that a Macmillan census in 2019 found were over 50 and could retire by 2030.

Head of Macmillan’s services in Scotland, Janice Preston, said: “Scotland is facing a perfect storm of soaring numbers of people with cancer, many experienced nurses retiring, and an already over-stretched workforce who despite working extremely hard, just can’t fill all the gaps.

“Cancer nurse specialists aren’t luxuries. They’re an essential part of the cancer care system and research shows they make a significant difference to how patients cope with the physical and emotional impact of their illness and treatment.

“It’s vital that the Scottish Government commits to creating a fully-funded and clearly mapped out plan to recruit the hundreds of additional nurses Scotland needs, as well as to replace those who are retiring.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said:“Staffing levels in Scotland’s NHS have reached a new record high after an increase of over 5,000 whole time equivalent staff in the last year. NHS Scotland’s workforce has now grown by over 20 per cent under this Government. This means an extra 25,000 staff working in our health service, achieved by nine consecutive years of staffing increases.

“Our National Cancer Plan is backed by £114.5 million of funding and is helping to ensure patients receive dedicated person-centred clinical support throughout their cancer journey. In addition, we are working in partnership with Macmillan to deliver the Transforming Cancer Care programme which will see all cancer patients receive emotional, financial and practical support from key support workers.

“Our NHS Recovery Plan commits more than £1 billion of targeted investment for the recovery and renewal of Scotland’s health service, including an additional £20m to deliver our Detect Cancer Early Programme as well as an £11 million investment in new national and international recruitment campaigns to produce an additional 1,500 staff over the next five years.”

For advice and support about cancer visit https://www.macmillan.org.uk/