X Factor star Sarah-Jane Crawford on coping with cancer scare TWICE in the last two years
TV host, who discovered lump thanks to The Sun's Check 'em Tuesday campaign, reveals how she overcame health scare
X FACTOR star Sarah-Jane Crawford has told of her shock after suffering her second cancer scare in two years.
The TV host, 35, who had already had a lump removed from her right breast, found another in the left boob this month.
Sarah-Jane, presenter of ITV2 spin-off The Xtra Factor, also had a non-cancerous fibroid removed from her uterus. But she admitted she was terrified of having another operation after her surgery left her so unwell that she suffered double vision for weeks.
Sarah-Jane, who also hosts ITV2’s Mobo Awards, said: “The first thing I thought when I found the lump was that an operation to remove it would be my third in two years.
“I tried to separate emotions from it and told myself that if I needed it removed, that’s what I would do.
“But the operations are traumatic. I’m not very good under general anaesthetic.
“I cry and panic because there’s always the fear you won’t wake up.
“After my first operation my immune system was so low that when I went back to work — just three weeks afterwards — I caught a bad virus and was really ill.
“I was walking around with really bad double vision. I couldn’t even walk across the road by myself.
“But thankfully it was caused by the operation rather than anything more serious and I was told by doctors it was probably a once in a lifetime thing.”
This week Sarah-Jane, who first found a lump after The Sun’s Check ’em Tuesday campaign in 2014, had a biopsy on the lump in her left breast.
But while it was harmless, she was told she also needed to have a biopsy on her right breast as the ultrasound scan had shown a dark shadow.
The scan found no evidence of abnormal and cancerous cells, but had shown signs of usual hyperplasia.
She was told the condition is not necessarily pre-malignant but does mean she is at an increased risk of breast cancer and needs to be examined again in six months.
Sarah-Jane added: “I’m now considered a high risk for breast cancer, but in a way that makes me less at risk because I know about it.
“So if I do find something again, it’s not likely to be serious yet.
“Checking my breasts has become routine and I know that I’m going to notice anything that changes.
“I’m speaking about this now to encourage other women to keep checking and make sure if there’s a problem they insist on screening and ultrasound scans.
“Even if their doctor says it’s a lump they should ignore, if they instinctively know something’s wrong, they should get a second opinion.
“After all, you know your body better than anyone else.
“Lots of people never check their breasts or don’t go to the doctor if they find a lump, because they don’t want to hear something sinister.
“I know it’s scary, but a lump the size of a golf ball can still be treatable.
“And it’s better to know up-front about something than to find out when it’s too late.
“In the past two years I’ve learnt that people are generally much more resilient than we think we are, and can deal with more than we think.
“There are lots of women around us making brave decisions, like Angelina Jolie, who had her ovaries removed after a double mastectomy. Women like her give me the courage to think if it was ever recommended that I have a breast removed, I would. You do what you have to do.”
Related Stories
But she admitted struggling to cope after finding her first lump, a papilloma, and was left feeling helpless and alone.
She said: “It was really scary. At the time I was on my own so I scared the crap out of myself on Google then went out and got drunk.
“One of the hardest things was that it felt so personal. Your breasts are unique to you. I felt the same months later when I had a fibroid removed.
“But for me now, it’s about trying to take emotion out of it, remembering that I’m not doomed and getting on with whatever I need to get better.
“I’ve made a lot of lifestyle changes since 2014 — like becoming a vegan and quitting alcohol — because they make me less susceptible to illness.
“Exercise also helps because it lowers your oestrogen levels, so being in the gym every five minutes helps. I really want to get the message out to women that these things can help.”
She added: “The last few years have definitely changed me. When you’re in your 20s you can think you’re invincible.
“But now I know we don’t have all the time in the world, so the key thing for me is that I want to live life to the fullest.
“I lost my dad when I was seven and so I’ve always had that feeling that life is short and you never know what’s around the corner.
“But now that has been really reinforced. You realise that we’re all just human, and that sometimes our bodies can let us down.
“Life isn’t always going to keep throwing you the right cards. That’s why now, after a few operations and luckily being OK, I’m a lot more aware of looking after myself.
“Your health is the most important thing.”
- Sarah-Jane has asked for her fee for this interview to be donated to breast cancer charity .
Checks mate
SARAH-Jane was one of thousands of women to benefit from The Sun’s Check ’em Tuesday campaign.
We launched it in March 2014 alongside charity CoppaFeel!
It led to more women regularly checking their boobs, including Wendy Bush, 42, of, North London, who found a lump. She said: “But for Check ’em Tuesday, I’d be heading for an early grave.”