Real Talk 4th September 2018 by Valerie Loftus
A BBC Presenter Has Shared A Heartbreaking Goodbye Post After Learning She Has Days To Live
Rachel Bland has been battling breast cancer for almost two years.
BBC radio presenter and cancer blogger Rachael Bland has shared a heartbreaking goodbye post after discovering that she only has days left to live.
The 40-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2016, and after months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was told the disease was ‘incurable’.
She previously “guesstimated” that she had less than a year left to live, but writing on Instagram yesterday, she said that “the time has come”:
In the words of the legendary Frank S – I’m afraid the time has come my friends. And suddenly. I’m told I’ve only got days. It’s very surreal. Thank you so very much for all your support I’ve received along the way.
As the co-host of the BBC podcast You, Me And The Big C, Rachel was known for her positive attitude throughout her battle with cancer. One fan paying tribute to her on Instagram said: “I’m living with cancer and listening to the podcast has pulled me out of some pretty dark places.”
In a piece for the Huffington Post written just before she announced the news, she said she planned to write write a memoir for her three-year-old son, Freddie.
It’s a collection of all those stories your parents tell you over the years from their point of view, mixed in with all the advice they give you. I’d only known [husband] Steve for such a short period of time before we married – I feel there’s so much he needs to know from my point of view and in my voice. And I think I best get my personality down on paper.
“I have a WhatsApp group with Steve’s sister where I send her things I want for Freddie and his future. The things that might overwhelm and upset Steve now but she will make sure happens,” she wrote.
Like not cutting his hair too short until he really insists, or my wish for him to go to the very best school and university possible, so long as that’s what he wants. I’m also planning and wrapping birthday presents which he can open between the ages of four and 21.
“I hope the book and these gifts and notes will leave an imprint of my love behind for the rest of his life. So he can be sure how very much I love him.”