The Duchess of York has revealed that she has given her reconstructed breast a name, following her single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.
Sarah Ferguson underwent the surgery in June after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The disease was discovered following a routine mammogram screening, which the duchess has urged others to go for.
Speaking on the latest episode of her podcast Tea Talks with co-host Sarah Thomson, Ferguson, 63, said she is “coming to terms with my new best friend”, referring to her reconstructed breast.
“On my left, he’s called Derek,” she said, revealing the name she gave her new breast. “He’s very important because he saved my life.”
Asked by Thomson why she chose the name “Derek”, Ferguson said: “I don’t know, it just made me laugh that I have now a friend who’s with me all the time who’s protecting with his shield of armour.”
She alluded to her other breast, who she said is called “Eric”, adding: “Poor Eric on the right is feeling rather sad because he’s not as perky as Derek on the left, but I’ll get Eric balanced, don’t worry.”
The duchess also said that she is “getting much better” after her surgery, but does not expect to be able to travel for a month.
Ferguson described her body’s current condition as having gotten “new wheels and a new engine”, adding: “I’ll be taking the car for a bit of a run soon.”
She said she was “proud” of the surgeons and doctors who took care of her, adding: “I’ve got a perky friend here on the left.”
In a previous episode of Tea Talks, Ferguson spoke about preparing to undergo the single mastectomy and said it was “very important” to talk about it.
“What sprang to mind was my father, when everyone rang him and said, ‘Why, no one wants to hear from me’ – and I don’t mind if no one wants to hear from me, because I’m telling you that I am doing this,” she said.
“I am telling people out there because I want every single person that is listening to this podcast to go and get checked.”
On 25 June, the duchess’s spokesperson confirmed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and said: “She was advised she needed to undergo surgery which has taken place successfully. The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family.”
Ferguson praised the NHS staff at the Royal Free Hospital in London on her podcast for their “amazing work”.
“Had it not been for that extraordinary injection in you to contrast, and it shows the contrast and it shows where to go – if I hadn’t done that, it was only a shadow, they wouldn’t have found out that it needs to be immediately sorted,” she explained.
Last month, Ferguson revealed that she had “handwritten” 500 letters to royal fans who had been sending their well-wishes to her.
The duchess, who was married to the Duke of York from 1986 to 1992, frequently campaigned for breast cancer awareness before her diagnosis. She worked closely with the Teenage Cancer Trust.
