A woman who was diagnosed with terminal cancer which she believes was caused by exposure to asbestos when she was in secondary school, and who got the all-clear in 2019 before the cancer returned, said this time she is determined to not “let cancer win”.
Sarah Bowman, 54, a manager at the Scope charity shop in Welwyn Garden City, was a pupil at William Gladstone High School in Dollis Hill, north-west London, and says she remembers “hiding (her) cigarettes in the ceiling tiles” which “were made of asbestos” but “didn’t think anything of it at the time”.
More than 40 years later, in 2009, Sarah, who is a single mum to Jason, 32, and Jack, 20, was diagnosed with terminal mesothelioma after finding a lump on her side, and was told she had just nine months to a year to live, which made her feel like her “world just fell apart” – but the operation to remove the tumour was a success.
While in remission in 2014, Sarah won a settlement from Brent Council, and her lawyers at Irwin Mitchell also established, on the balance of probabilities, that her mesothelioma was likely to have been caused by exposure to asbestos at school.
Sarah was continuously tested for cancer and in 2019 she was given the all-clear, which made her “really pleased” but “really scared to leave the comfort blanket of the hospital”.
To her devastation, at the end of May this year, she found out the cancer had returned.
Sarah is now fundraising for Scope, as her job “keeps her going”, and on June 24 she and six of her colleagues shaved their heads, raising more than £2,700 for the disability charity.
Sarah was a pupil at the now-demolished William Gladstone High School from 1979 to 1984.
“I didn’t really know what asbestos was when I was at the school – I can remember hiding my cigarettes in the ceiling tiles, and they were made of asbestos, you could see it when you pushed up the tiles, but we didn’t think anything of it at the time,” she told PA Real Life.
Sarah, who began getting cancerous symptoms in early 2009, said: “I’d lost a lot of weight for no reason, and found a lump on my side.”
After visiting her GP, who reassured her it was “just fatty tissue”, Sarah could not help but feel something was wrong.
So she had a routine biopsy and, to her devastation, she was diagnosed with terminal mesothelioma and was told she had nine months to a year to live.
She tearfully said: “I can remember going into the hospital and seeing a Macmillan nurse and a box of tissues, and I just knew – my world just fell apart.
“I sat in the car and cried my eyes out – I then had to go home and tell my two boys.
“It always makes me cry to think of telling them.”
Within a few days, Sarah had surgery to try to remove the cancer, which was unusually under her uterus rather than her lungs or stomach lining, and it was a success.
She said: “Straight after the surgery they said my diagnosis was guarded, but as time went on I began feeling more confident and comfortable with being in remission.”
In 2014, Sarah won a settlement from Brent Council, although she did not wish to disclose the amount.
She went on to be tested every three months, and when she got to the 10-year mark, in 2019, without the cancer returning she was given the all-clear.
She said: “I was really pleased, obviously, and I thought I might get a tattoo or something like that to celebrate.
“But I was really scared – I was scared to leave the comfort blanket of the hospital where everyone looks after you – they wipe your tears when you’re upset and are always checking if the cancer is there or not.
“I felt protected at the hospital and I was really scared to go back into the big wide world.”
At the end of May this year, Sarah found out the cancer had returned.
She said: “I was coming into work and I put my foot on the brake, and I was suddenly in so much pain that I almost couldn’t breathe – it took my breath away.
“I couldn’t shake it, so I went straight to the local walk-in centre and explained what had happened.
“I was then taken to the main hospital and went to the surgical department – I waited all day and wasn’t allowed to eat, and I was told they wanted to do a CT scan.
“I just thought it was a hernia or something like that, I honestly didn’t really think much of it, I thought it was silly that they were keeping me there all that time.
“The CT scan showed a nine to 11-centimetre tumour, and I asked if it was cancer – the doctor sat back and said ‘Yes’.”
Sarah is waiting for her next appointment to find out what stage her cancer is at but is pleased to know it has not spread to her lungs, and is determined to not let it beat her.
She said: “Last time I let it get to my head – I was sitting on the sofa in my pyjamas the whole time, until I got my all-clear, really.
“I lost my confidence to speak to people, but this time I really can’t let cancer win.
“Having my job at Scope really keeps me going and I wanted to do something to thank them.”
So on June 24, she shaved her head to raise money for Scope, and, to her delight, the fundraiser turned into an all-day event, with local businesses and children’s entertainers getting involved.
To support Sarah, six other Scope volunteers shaved their heads, and one of her sons, Jack, dyed his beard purple. The event raised more than £2,700.
She said: “It was amazing, I can’t believe how many people came and how much we raised – I’m so proud of everybody.
“We had a man from a local barbers shave our heads for free, and all kinds of entertainers – we even had a 70-year-old Spiderman, it was so fun.
“I just can’t believe all of the support.
“I was quite nervous when they shaved my hair but I loved the day – I might have to bleach my hair to cover a few of the greys though!”
To find out more about Sarah’s fundraising page, visit www.gofundme.com/f/help-sarah-raise-money-for-scope.
