Devastated Sarah Harding fans raise funds for cancer patients in her memory after her tragic death aged 39
SARAH Harding's devastated fans have set up a fundraising page in her memory to support the cancer treatment centre that cared for the singer before her death.
Natasha Young, one of the people behind the page, wrote: "Let's try and raise as much money as we can for The Christie who cared for Sarah in her time of need."
She said the fundraiser has the backing of Sarah's management who called it a "lovely idea".
So far it has raised £780.
Pop star Sarah died aged 39 barely 12 months after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Girls Aloud star was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer last August and underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy in a bid to prolong her life.
But the singer's mum Marie yesterday confirmed the heartbreaking news of her daughter's death - saying her "shining star" had "slipped away" after bravely fighting the disease for 12 months.
She wrote: "It's with deep heartbreak that today I'm sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away.
More on Sarah's tragic death:
- Sarah gushed about being 'so happy' in her final Instagram post
- Tributes have poured in from celeb pals led by her famous ex
- Inside Sarah's fun-loving life from Girls Aloud glory to reality fame
- Sarah passed away with her family by her side
"Many of you will know of Sarah's battle with cancer and that she fought so strongly from her diagnosis until her last day.
"She slipped away peacefully this morning. I'd like to thank everyone for their kind support over the past year. It meant the world to Sarah and it gave her great strength and comfort to know she was loved.
"I know she won't want to be remembered for her fight against this terrible disease - she was a bright shining star and I hope that's how she can be remembered instead.- Marie x".
Sarah had bravely spoken out about her diagnosis, releasing a book called Hear Me Out which documented her life as a pop star and chronicled her fight with cancer earlier this year.
She had thought chemotherapy was working until the secondary tumour destroyed her hopes.
She added: “The disease has worsened, as has my prognosis. This tumour is the thing that scares me more than anything because I think it will be the thing that affects me the most.
“I don’t know what it’s going to do, but it’s there. There’s an option for radiotherapy on my skull but I don’t want to go through that and lose my hair at this stage, especially with no guarantees at the end of it.
"It might seem vain thinking about my hair, but my thinking was that if there’s a chance I’ve only got six months, then I’ve got six months.
“Losing my hair probably wasn’t going to change that, so if there’s another way to manage the disease or treat it, then let’s do that. I don’t want to feel like I have to spend whatever time I have left hiding away.”
What is breast cancer and how does it spread?
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK - with one woman diagnosed every ten minutes.
While most women can get breast cancer, it is most common in women who are over the age of 50.
According to Cancer Research UK, breast cancer starts in the breast tissue.
Breast cancer develops when abnormal cells in the breast begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way and eventually form a growth.
Most invasive breast cancers are found in the upper-outer quadrant of the breast.
If it’s not diagnosed and treated it can move through the lymph or blood vessels to other areas of the body.
Each year in the UK there are around 55,200 new breast cancer cases.
This equates to around 150 new cases a day.
It also accounts for 15 per cent of all new cancer cases each year.
If the cancer is diagnosed at its earliest stage then 98 per cent of people will survive the disease for five years or more.
If it is diagnosed at the latest stage, then just 26 per cent of people survive for five years or more.
What are the four stages of breast cancer?
Stage one: The cancer is small and only in the breast tissue - but can also be found in lymph nodes close to the breast.
Stage two: The cancer is either in the breast or in the nearby lymph nodes or both.
Stage three: The cancer has spread from the breast to the lymph nodes or the skin of the breast or the chest wall.
Stage four: The cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
What are the signs?
- A lump in the breast or armpit
- Changes in the positioning of the nipple
- Nipples leaking in women who have not had children
- Skin changes