Page 21ancer ops in a
the PM’s wife
life
Daily Mail, Monday, August 12, 2019need, I decided, to ditch the two-
piece swimming costume just yet.
Ideally, my phone and laptop
would not have spent the night in
the controlled medicines cup-
board, but these things happen.
My niece brought me her iPad
and there were other consolations.
My daughters brought sushi, Love
Island and Peter Crouch’s podcast.
I had jelly babies and a Terry’s
Chocolate Orange. I didn’t stay inhospital long. After three opera-
tions, I had learnt that hospital
and patient are equally keen to
free up the bed. A family team
headed by Shirin picked me up.
Shirin has been my saviour. She
was with me all the time and kept
friends and family in the loop. She
was endlessly attentive and took
the unsavoury stuff in her stride.
When I was four and Shirin six,
she fancied herself a witch. Shemade a little book of spells. She
would open it, look at me fiercely
and start to mutter.
Soon, she warned, I would be a
toad. A very small and disgusting
one. I would live outside. My
parents would open the door, see
me on the step and slam it shut.
‘No!’ I’d cry, ‘I don’t want to be a
toad!’ It may be a little soon, but
I’m thinking of forgiving her. It is
tempting to stick with this theme:gratitude to people who reached
out to steady me during an awful,
frightening time. But it would
divert me from an urgent message
I need to send — to my publisher
and agent. I haven’t given up! The
book is on its way!
I can’t yet cycle, run or drive. But
I can write. Things are looking up.
The histology after surgery was
clear; the cancer hadn’t spread.
I resented the surgical stockings,but then I made peace with them.
I fancy I had finessed the look — a
few inches peeking from under a
pleated skirt — when Miss O told
me the stockings had done their
time. Joy of joys!
I am now in the garden at Lucy’s
house in Cornwall. It is lush and
filled with flowers. I feel the sun
warming my back. I can hear birds
and the rhythmic roar of the sea.
I am making progress with
my manuscript, while pondering
other things.O
Ne is womanhood. It is
true, I have lost some
key anatomical bits.
They served me well
but had no further use. And that
is fine.
In this age, in the place we live,
we are defined much less by our
desire or ability to reproduce. Why
would we be, when there is so
much more?
Lucy is standing in the stream
tearing brambles from the bank.
She will pile these in a wheel-
barrow and haul them up the hill
to burn. If I’m lucky, she will then
make tea and bring out some of
her citrus-with-rosemary-and-
olive-oil cake.
We will craft an occasion at which
to rerun the birthday playlist.
There are details to iron out —
date, guest list, that kind of
thing — but we agree that a
Scandinavian-style singles party
would be a hoot.
O Marina Wheeler’s
memoir of her mother’s family,
The lost homestead, will be
published by hodder &
stoughton in spring 2020.WHAT WOMEN MUST KNOW
FROM SCAN TO SURGICAL STOCKINGS
Picture: CASSIA JOHNSON-WHEELERTHERE are more than 3,200 new
cases of cervical cancer in the
UK each year, of which around
1,000 affect women in their 40s
and 50s. Women aged 50 to 65
are invited for a smear test on
the NHS every five years.
Latest NHS figures show 28 per
cent of women aged 55 to 60 are
not up-to-date on their
screening and 21 per cent of
women aged 50 to 54.
Research by Jo’s Cervical
Cancer Trust has identified that
nearly one in four women in
their 50s do not think regular
screening is important.
Among those women who had
missed or delayed their test, a
third said it was embarrassing,
and 19 per cent said it was more
painful as they’d got older.
The charity said many of these
women wrongly assumed
cervical cancer was a disease
affecting younger age groups
and they were no longer at risk.The five-year survival rates for
women in their 50s is 69 per
cent, falling to 54 per cent for
those in their 60s.
Robert Music, chief executive
of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust,
says: ‘It is fantastic that Marina
has talked so openly about
cervical cancer diagnosis. It
remains one of the most
common cancers in young
women. However, we can’t for-
get it affects women of all ages.
‘Increasing understanding of
the disease and prevention
among all ages is essential. We
are lucky to have a fantastic
vaccination that younger
women can benefit from, but
older age groups will not.
‘Cancer can be very isolating
and Marina’s story may help
others facing diagnosis feel less
alone. She may well prevent
other women from going
through the same as her.’
SOPHIE BORLANDI LEFT thinking: ‘That’s
absurd. I have no
time for this... I have
a book to write.’
I MET my consultant,
Miss O... I’ve seen Killing
Eve. If you can have a
crush on your would-
be assassin, why not on
a surgeon who plans to
remove your womb?
THE risk of post-op
blood clots would be
mitigated by wearing
surgical stockings.
For six weeks... ‘Do
they come in other
colours?’ I asked.
‘Olive-green, or
maybe pink?’
THE op would be
Thursday, and Friday
was my friend Lucy’s
birthday party. Could I
go? I had helped
compile the playlist.
I DIDN’T make it to the
party. I had puffed
up like a balloon...
If you touched my
skin there was a
popping noise.
[LUCY and I] will craft
an occasion at which to
rerun the birthday
playlist. There are
details to iron out —
date, guest list, that
kind of thing — but we
agree a Scandinavian-
style singles party
would be a hoot.
Surgery:
Marina
Wheeler