Duchess of York turns personal battle into powerful plea for better teen cancer care
Sarah Ferguson has opened up about her deeply personal health journey, describing her experience with cancer as feeling “like a bomb going off in my chest.” The Duchess of York is now using her story to call for urgent changes in how teenagers and young adults with cancer are treated.
In an emotional op-ed for The Times published on April 23, Fergie revealed the emotional toll of being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, followed just months later by a second diagnosis: skin cancer. The back-to-back battles led her mind to “dark places,” she wrote.
Now in recovery, the Duchess is advocating for young cancer patients as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust’s latest campaign. In her piece, she criticised the health system for overlooking this vulnerable group.
“One group consistently neglected by those developing health plans and policies is teenagers and young adults with cancer. The impact can be devastating,” she wrote.
Having long supported the charity, Ferguson has now signed an open letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, calling for faster diagnoses, increased access to clinical trials, and stronger mental health support for young patients. She warned that too many teenagers are “fobbed off” by doctors despite presenting serious symptoms, leading to dangerous delays in care.
“As most cases of cancer occur in people over 50, they find themselves in a system that isn’t designed with young people in mind,” she added.
With the Department of Health drafting a new national cancer strategy, Ferguson’s heartfelt appeal adds momentum to the growing call for age-appropriate care. She will soon visit a Teenage Cancer Trust-supported unit alongside her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, continuing her public mission to ensure no young voice goes unheard.
