Sarah Harding has shared a positive update on her terminal breast cancer diagnosis in her new book, Hear Me Out.
The Girls Aloud star, who urged women to attend their health checks after doctors told her she may not see Christmas, concluded the 320 memoir book with an uplifting note on her progress.
"MRI scans at the end of December revealed that the tumors in my brain and in my lung have shrunk a bit with the treatment,” she wrote in an excerpt printed in the Daily Star. Sarah added that she is unsure what ‘exactly this means’ but welcomes it as a small silver lining at this incredibly difficult time.
“At least I know it's moving in the right direction, and right now, every little victory feels momentous,” she said.
Sarah with her Girls Aloud bandmates in 2009
The news gave her some brief peace of mind and the hope she needed to get through the festive season.
“I was able to enjoy a relaxing quiet Christmas with mum and yes, I got plenty of lovely Christmas pressies,” she reassured readers.
Sarah’s memoir, Hear Me Out, which is named after a song on Girls Aloud’s second studio album, is available to buy from March 18. The singer took to Instagram today to express her excitement for the release of her debut book.
"I actually can’t believe I’ve done it! What started out a dream idea last summer is now a reality," she wrote. Sarah took on the challenge to write her life story after she was approached by a major publisher following the announcement of her cancer diagnosis last August.
"There’s no easy way to say this and actually it doesn’t even feel real writing this, but here goes. Earlier this year I was diagnosed with breast cancer and a couple of weeks ago I received the devastating news that the cancer has advanced to other parts of my body,” she told her 316k Instagram followers in August. “I’m currently undergoing weekly chemotherapy sessions and I am fighting as hard as I possibly can.”
Unfortunately, Sarah has encountered multiple setbacks throughout her cancer treatment. The 39-year-old musician was placed in a medically-induced coma after her body rejected a catheter, also referred to as an IV, that was supposed to deliver chemotherapy drugs into her bloodstream. The catheter only resulted in the swelling of Sarah’s neck and chest and was promptly removed.
Sarah now believes she is facing the final stages of her cancer. She finds comfort in small pleasures, like watching episodes of Family Guy, drinking the odd glass of wine and cooking for her mother.
“I’m at a stage now where I don’t know how many months I have left,” she wrote. “Who knows, maybe I’ll surprise everyone, but that’s how I’m looking at things.”
