Five years after Sarah Harding's death, the research she funded has saved its first life. Annette Illing, 41, became the first person to be successfully treated for breast cancer thanks to research funded by the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, which has raised £1million to fund vital studies.
Sarah's dying wish
Sarah's dying wish was to find new ways to spot the signs of the disease earlier, and prevent other women's lives being shortened as she knew hers was. Her Girls Aloud bandmates Cheryl Tweedy, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle and Nicola Roberts supported the initiative.
Kimberley, 44, has met Annette, whose life was saved by the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women study, known as BCAN-RAY, looking into which women in their 30s are most at risk. It is funded by Sarah's appeal, which supports research at The Christie hospital in Manchester, where she was treated.
Annette's story
South Manchester teaching assistant Annette took part in the BCAN-RAY study funded by Sarah's charity on the advice of her father and sister, who are both GPs. Annette, who has daughters of eight, 11 and 13 with partner Mark, had no reason to suspect she was at risk of breast cancer. There was no family history of the disease and she had no symptoms. But an early stage of the disease was diagnosed.
Annette said: "It was a huge shock. It was scary to hear the word 'cancer,' but it was caught early, meaning it could be removed, and preventive treatment was available. When the mammogram picked up my cancer, it was undetectable by any other means. If I'd waited, it would have grown and changed my prognosis. It could have been a completely different story."
A lasting legacy
Breast cancer is the most common cause of death in women aged 30-55, and most victims have no family history of the disease. Women are only given mammograms after the age of 50. Sarah revealed her own shock breast cancer diagnosis in 2020, and had a mastectomy and intensive chemotherapy. But devastatingly, the cancer spread to her spine and just 11 months later, on September 5 2021, she died.
Kimberley said: "Before she passed away Sarah had one wish: to help fund research for breast cancer. She was so passionate about The Christie, she really wanted to try and help. Annette is living proof that Sarah has made a difference."
Speaking to Annette in March, Kimberley said: "Just knowing that she saved you, and your family, and your girls means absolutely everything to me, to the rest of the girls in the band. I know it would to Sarah. Hopefully we've done her proud."
Annette told the Mirror: "Without the Sarah Harding appeal and The Christie Charity having supported the BCAN-RAY study and Dr Sacha Howell, I would be walking around not knowing I had cancer. I was 10 years from a routine mammogram. In the midst of her journey with cancer, Sarah was thinking ahead, thinking about others, wanting to leave her own legacy." She added: "I am beyond grateful to Dr Howell and Hannah Harrison and their teams for dedicating their lives to gaining a greater understanding of breast cancer."
