A young woman is urging people to do one thing this Christmas after her world was "turned upside down".
The pandemic meant that Sarah Waters' routine smear test was postponed. It wasn't until April 1, 2022 that she managed to book an appointment and be seen.
Assuming everything would be "normal", the 30-year-old jetted off abroad to enjoy a much-needed getaway. But upon her return to Prescot, she was rushed for urgent tests.
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On June 22, the singer received a devastating diagnosis - a rare type of cervical cancer called Poorly-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma that was "aggressive and fast growing". Previously sharing her story, she bravely urged everyone to not put off their smear tests.
Since then, Sarah has undergone a "double whammy" after she needed to undergo a full hysterectomy before weeks of gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. She told the ECHO : "When I had the hysterectomy I was ill and had pneumonia and when I got my results at Clatterbridge they said they noticed something else in my vagina.
"They went ahead with the treatment which was five weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for five days a week but then had to do an extra two weeks on the area they were worried about, so seven weeks in total. The radiotherapy is still working through my body so it's a waiting game until March when they tell me if it's worked."
Sarah has recently "rang the bell" signalling the end of her treatment where she "struggled to hold back tears", but said she is not in the clear yet. She added: "I underestimated how hard it would be, especially with the hysterectomy, recovery was so hard.
"It stopped me being mobile, it turned my world upside down. I'm so weak, I have to keep finding a seat to sit down and the nausea is nothing like what I expected. Ringing the bell is to symbolise you've finished treatment and people think you're in the clear, but you're not yet, it's a waiting game.
"But it meant so much to me, I broke down. It's just a massive roller coaster but it felt amazing to do."
As many women may put off their routine tests due to fear, embarrassment or even a lack of time, Sarah and her family are urging people to take the time to book their tests as it could "save your life." Since sharing her journey, Sarah has already helped other people, with complete strangers even reaching out for support.
She told the ECHO: "It's nice I'm still getting people message who say they've had positive HPV and it's raising awareness of that. Parents have said they aren't sure whether to let their kids get the vaccine at school but we want them to, it can help prevent further down the line.
"I can't fault the care from the Clatterbridge, the staff and care is amazing, I can't thank them enough and also my mum and sister and whole family. We really have gone through all of this together, my mum has taken time off work to look after me."
Sarah now plans to enjoy Christmas and New Year as she recovers, but still worries about what the March results will bring and what that may mean. Writing on social media, she added: "There have been many days where I’ve felt my worst both emotionally and physically, literally running on empty and I felt like not getting up."
She went on to say: "Thank you to the amazing people who have supported me through everything. I have had some very hard days, feeling sad, lonely, scared, in pain and feeling completely helpless. When you have been busy with your own lives, you have still found time to call round and check in on me through the the bad and the better days."
More information about cervical screening can be found via the NHS website here.
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