Woman diagnosed with incurable cancer days before her wedding

Sarah Bamber, 45, found a lump on her breast before she was set to don her white dress and walk down the aisle.

She said she had also lost a significant amount of weight which prompted alarm bells to ring.

A doctor’s visit last year and later biopsies confirmed Sarah’s fears and it was diagnosed as breast cancer.

Further investigation showed the tumors had been there for some time and had spread to her liver and bones.

The mom-of-three was told that although her cancer could be treated, it couldn’t be cured and was given a prognosis of between five and eight years.

Managing to tell her children, who were just three and four when Sarah received her diagnosis, presented its own challenge.

She said: “I was devastated; it was supposed to be such a happy time.

“When my husband and I sat them down, it was a huge thing for us to do, and a very difficult conversation to have with a three-and four-year-old.

“We never say the treatment will make me better or anything like that, as you never want to say something that’s not true.

''But there will probably come a time when we will need to have more of an in-depth conversation with them.”

Following her diagnosis, the Stalybridge mom began treatment at The Christie, a leading cancer care center in the UK.

She began 24 cycles (24 weeks) of chemotherapy which finished in March 2024.

She now receives treatment every three weeks to prevent the tumors from growing for as long as possible.

She described The Christie as, “an amazing place,” with incredibly supportive staff, and highlighted the willingness of both cancer survivors and those living with the illness to share their stories.

“I’ve met people who have been given three to six months to live, and they’re so inspiring and so positive,” she said.

“It shines a different light on my situation.”

To raise money for the hospital, Sarah’s husband Chris, along with Director of the recruitment agency The City Recruiter and friend Nick Ryan are organizing a charity rugby event at the Regional Arena in Manchester City.

Both are ex-players with Nick having previously played for Salford Academy.

The event will see the men’s and women’s teams going up against the GB Police teams and will take place on 29th September.

Sarah discussed the importance of the upcoming event in raising money for a hospital which has given so much support to its patients and their families.

“What I see when I go for scans, etc. is a hospital doing its absolute best, but which could probably do with more resources,” she continued.

“Anything that we can do to give back to The Christie, to support it in continuing its research into cancer or in looking after its patients and facilities is worthwhile.”

The event has been supported by Tesco, where Sarah has worked for 22 years in various roles across the country.

Prior to her diagnosis and treatment, she served as the Managing Director of Tesco Express, and in June 2024 she started back as the Managing Director of Business Support.

She spoke of the outpouring of love and support from her colleagues: “It’s quite a unique company to work for, because we really do care about people.”

“I definitely felt that when I was diagnosed and during the time I was off.”

Looking to the future, Sarah hopes to see continued development of drugs to treat and cure cancer, as well as better knowledge and understanding of breast cancer.

“As with every cancer, it’s important that you catch it early. But breast cancer is one of those where, if you catch it early, it’s incredibly treatable.

“The reason I’ve got between five and eight years is because of the incredible amount of work that has been done on cancer care over the last 10-15 years.”

“If we can play a role in preventing anyone else’s breast cancer being uncurable because it has been diagnosed too late, that would be amazing.”

Nick Ryan, Director of The City Recruiter, who is helping organize the event said: “The charity is instrumental in helping people in their time of need.

“These charity matches are just one way we can raise funds for the incredible work The Christie does, while bringing everyone together for two entertaining games of rugby.

Sarah’s husband and rugby veteran, Chris Bamber, added: “We’re staying strong as a family.

About 50% of people at some point in their lives will get cancer, and The Christie will treat a lot of them.

“The event is raising money for such a fantastic cause and will allow us to reunite on the field again.

"I’ll be thinking of Sarah and the countless people affected by cancer, this is my way of trying to give something back.”