AT JUST 32, Sarah Cook is a three-times cancer survivor.

Sarah first encountered the disease when she was eight years old. It returned when she was 17, and again when she was 19.

But thanks to advances in treatment, not only has she survived, she has been able to follow her dreams to carve out a career in movies, and travel the world.

Sarah said: “As a three-times survivor, I think it’s important to tell my story to show young patients that there is life after diagnosis and that you can do whatever you dream of.

“And I think we need to let young people know that even if you have relapses, it’s not the end of the story.”

Knowing the value of research, the next chapter in Sarah’s story will be to launch the 2025 series of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life season in London.

Sarah, who is originally from Montreal, Canada, and now lives in Fulham, west London, will be the VIP guest at Clapham Race for Life on May 24th. She has teamed up with her family – sister Cassandra Cook, brother-in-law Phil Ince, to take part in the event and is calling on people across the city to join them.

Anyone who signs up before Sunday April 6 can claim 30 per cent off the entry fee by using the code 30SPRING.
 
Sarah knows how vital it is to raise funds for life-saving research. Money raised will help scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease- to bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.

They recreated the ‘finish line feeling’ experienced at Race for Life to inspire people to visit raceforlife.org and sign up. 

Sarah said: “Why do I Race for Life?  “As someone who had cancer as a child and as a young adult, I think it’s important to raise awareness about young adults who can sometimes be overlooked as they are their own category with their own challenges which differ from children and adult patients.

“I don’t remember much before my first diagnosis at eight, but my ‘normal’ from then on was to be surrounded by doctor’s appointments and tests.

Sarah was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma after suffering pains in her leg. She underwent 17 rounds of chemo, her fibula was removed and she then had radiotherapy treatment.

She then moved to regular checks and all was well until she was 17 when doctors found a soft tissue tumour beside her left lung. This time Sarah underwent chemotherapy and surgery.

“This was a completely different experience. It turned my whole world upside down. I wanted my independence but I needed to be taken care of. I was just on the cusp of adulthood so reproduction issues were coming into play – starting relationships, did I want kids, did I want to postpone treatment?

“The small blessing was that I knew I could do it. But I didn’t want to be in a room full of six-year-olds! It was a very big eye-opener for me and my family.”

After treatment, Sarah went on to university to study computer science and film. During her second year, cancer raised its head again when another soft tissue tumour was again found near her left lung.

She needed surgery and this time joined a clinical trial.

“Each time I had cancer, there were some improvements in treatment. At eight I had a cocktail of chemo and had to stay in hospital for a week, every three weeks.

“At 17, it was treatments after school for an hour for a week, then two weeks off.

“And at 19, I just had the surgery but had the clinical trial.”

Sarah moved to the UK in 2017 where her monitoring has continued.

“Work brought me to England. I fell in love with the film industry when I was young and going through treatment. I was quite quiet and I found watching films very therapeutic – I cried and laughed and expressed my emotions through them.

“I always preferred British content though and eventually I made my way here. I now work at the new Shenfield Studios in Reading, on the production side.”

As a result of her childhood cancer experience, Sarah and her family, spotted where extra help was needed to make life more comfortable for children at the hospital in Montreal where she was treated.

“Each time I had treatment, at a different age, there was something new. When I was little, Sarah’s Fund started by providing comfortable pillows for the children and introducing Dr Clown, so there was laughter on the floor.

“The fund also renovated areas of the hospital and introduced art and music therapy.

“We know we’ve helped a lot of people and I still want to do that – I think there’s a reason I went through what I did.

“The doctors and nurses also become part of your family – I still go back and see mine,” she said.

People of all ages and abilities are welcome to take part in Race for Life. There are 3k, 5k and 10k events as well as Pretty Muddy- a 5k mud-splattered obstacle course – and a children’s version, Pretty Muddy Kids.
 
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with headline sponsor Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, is an inspiring series of 3k, 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events, which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer by funding crucial research.