60. Sarah Standing on chemo, dodging Dr Google and life at full throttle

“Cancer not only makes the person going through it appreciate every nuance of life, it also make the people who love you speak their minds.”

In this episode we are joined by Sarah Standing – journalist, toy shop owner and author.

On the face of it, Sarah has enjoyed – and appreciated – a charmed life. The daughter of actress Nanette Newman and director, writer and actor Bryan Forbes, and sister of well-known TV presenter Emma Forbes, Sarah is also married to the brilliant British actor Johnnie Standing.

Mum of three, grandmother to two … Sarah is the glue at the centre of a talented loving family and a network of friends that includes Sir Elton John.

But in the space of a few hours on a November day in 2020 Sarah’s life changed forever. At 10am that day she went to see her GP, complaining of feeling breathless. By 4pm she’d been diagnosed with grade III Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Sarah’s brilliant new book – Dancing With The Red Devil – tells the story of what happened next. It’s an account of facing down cancer and chemotherapy during those dark days of COVID but also the most wonderful, valuable memoir of family, of love and the power of friendship in crisis.

Sarah is someone who loves to laugh but who also tells it like it is. This conversation, like Sarah’s book, is brutal in its honesty, moving, at times hilarious and full of insight that I think is valuable to anyone facing tough times or for that matter anyone who is in the orbit of someone dealing with crisis.

Topics covered:

- Cancer diagnosis

- Chemotherapy and hair loss

- Setting small goals

- The language of crisis

- Grief

-Tachycardia

Sarah’s Crisis Comforts:

1. Cooking engages your senses and can sometimes invoke happy memories – comfort food in particular has the power to lift your mood.

2. Music – Not just listening but getting up and joining in. Dancing and singing will trigger your brain to release endorphins which will automatically make you feel happier.

3. Jigsaw puzzles although requiring a huge amount of concentration can put your brain in a relaxed state of mind whilst distracting you from your problems.

Links:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/skstanding

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahkstanding/?hl=en

Dancing With the Red Devil - Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dancing-Red-Devil-Sarah-Standing/dp/1472296354/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=YVWXO24F2QJ6&keywords=dancing+with+the+red+devil+by+sarah+standing&qid=1663700541&sprefix=%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1

Stream/Buy ‘Allies’ by Some Velvet Morning: https://ampl.ink/qp6bm

Some Velvet Morning Website: www.somevelvetmorning.co.uk Your Daily Practice: Sleep by Myndstream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5OX9XgJufFz9g63o2Dv2i5?si=b2f9397c92084682

Host – Andy Coulson

CWC production team: Louise Difford, Ed Isaacs and Jane Sankey

With special thanks to Global

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