Photos: Emily Chalk
It’s been almost six years since Sarah Gandy was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, but not a day goes by when the More FM radio host and podcaster isn’t reminded of the disease – because it still impacts her constantly.
“I’ve been taking [hormone inhibitor] Tamoxifen for five years, and this month I have an appointment with my oncologist to decide whether I need to take it for longer. I’m really hoping not,” says Sarah, 42, who co-hosts the drivetime show with Paul ‘Flynny’ Flynn. “Tamoxifen gives me awful hot flushes. Normally acupuncture helps, but I went on holiday earlier this year and didn’t have it for a couple of months, and the flushes and night sweats came back with a vengeance. The difference was insane.”
Sarah also gets several other secondary symptoms, including an annoying dry eye. “I look like I have pinkeye!”
But while those side-effects are mostly under control, there’s no treatment for the mental fatigue that’s a common Tamoxifen issue. “The brain fog is terrible,” Sarah explains with a wry smile. “Sometimes my mouth and brain simply don’t connect with each other – which is a bit of a problem when you’re a radio host!
“I can generally handle the side-effects, but some days they really add up,” continues Sarah, who’s married to film editor Luke Haigh, 45. “You know – when you’re working long hours and it all gets too much. I’m tired, I’ve got bung eye, my brain hurts… it’s no fun. That’s why I have to look after myself. Because if I do, the symptoms quieten and I’m able to get on with life a lot better.”
Sarah was just 36 when she was told she had two malignant tumours in her left breast, requiring surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Although she’d been on a physical health kick prior to her diagnosis, she wasn’t so conscientious with her mental health. “I’d been doing everything right physically – I had genetic testing, found out my body fat numbers and percentages, was seeing a personal trainer, eating healthily – but I had terrible anxiety, and panic attacks that were getting increasingly debilitating,” she tells. Many of her panic attacks related to her work at the time – something she didn’t clock until later.
“Once I had one at 4am as soon as I woke up to go to work. In retrospect, I wasn’t in the healthiest of work environments. I think the panic attacks were my body’s way of telling me it wasn’t good for me,” she recalls. “The stress was pretty intense. I wasn’t looking after myself mentally at all.”
While Sarah loves her radio role, these days her health comes first – physical and mental. “I’m in this big job I love, which I’m juggling with podcast and voiceover work. I also do media training, so there’s a lot going on. It’s important I don’t let stress creep back in, which happens all too easily,” explains Sarah, who launched her Change & Check campaign with the Breast Cancer Foundation in 2020 to help women learn how to check their breasts. “Luke is amazing, which helps. He’s big on ensuring I do whatever I have to do to feel OK. If I come home and feel too tired to cook, he just tells me not to worry.”
Sarah and Luke don’t have children – something they had to come to terms with due to her cancer treatment and taking Tamoxifen – and the pair love doing Pilates together. They’ve even invested in a reformer for their Auckland home. “I got into Pilates during my post-cancer rehab,” says Sarah. “It’s great for my busy brain as you have to concentrate on what you’re doing.” She also has a mini trampoline, which helps drain the lymphatic system – important in post-cancer care.
She still experiences anxiety, but she hasn’t had a panic attack since her diagnosis. “Sometimes I don’t know that I’m in a constant state of anxiety until I’m exhausted, and I realise I’ve run a mental marathon while I wasn’t paying attention,” she explains.
“I worry about having to be this bubbly radio person on days I’m not feeling it, but I’ve learned to look at my anxiety objectively, sit with it and work out why I’m feeling that way. I’ve learned to talk myself off the shelf a bit with this technique. It’s not a magic trick, but it helps.”
While Sarah’s apprehensive about her upcoming oncology appointment, she’s a happier, healthier woman these days. “Before my diagnosis, I used to think of looking after myself as a treat,” she says. “Now I know self-care isn’t a treat. It’s essential.”
Visit rova.nz/articles/sarah-gandy-change-and-check-sign-breast-cancer for more on Sarah’s campaign.
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