Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
It’s not everyday royalty and Coronation Street stars mix. On this occasion, it was for a good cause as Sarah, Duchess of York was joined by star Sally Dynevor during a visit to the Nightingale Centre in Wythenshawe, Manchester.
The centre offers state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment services to both men and women with breast cancer. The Duchess took time to speak about her own experience with breast cancer and then urged others to get screened as well. This comes as she was announced as patron of the charity, Prevent Breast Cancer. The Duchess was introduced to the charity as they work to raise money for a new National Breast Imaging Academy. She was actually introduced by Dynevor to the organisation when they appeared as panelists on ITV’s Loose Women as they both shared their journeys with the disease.
Last year, an operation discovered the Duchess had an early form of the disease during a routine mammogram. It was then months later she announced she had another form of cancer, malignant melanoma skin cancer. She was later given the all-clear after treatment but admits she feared it was a “death sentence.” Writing for The Sun Newspaper, she wrote:
“When you’re told you have cancer, you can’t help thinking it’s a death sentence. Your mind goes to the darkest places and you wonder what lies ahead and how you are going to share the news with your family.
“That was certainly the case for me last year when a routine mammogram detected breast cancer, something I had always dreaded. I had almost missed the appointment as I couldn’t face a journey into central London on a hot summer’s day and thought I would put it off.”
The Nightingale Center serves as a base for Prevent Breast Cancer. The charity launched a public appeal to raise £600,000 for a National Breast Imaging Academy in the Manchester area. The goal is to train 50 new breast imaging specialists a year. Construction of the academy is set to start next month.