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Sarah Ferguson urges fans to 'check in with themselves' as she shares heartfelt health message amid her cancer battle

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Sarah Ferguson has urged her followers to show 'their body and mind love' on World Health Day - as she undergoes skin cancer treatment.

On Sunday, the Duchess of York, 64, shared the message in an Instagram post accompanied with a sweet snap of herself posing in a Wolf & Badger blazer.

'I would like to remind anyone who may be reading this to check in with yourself,' she warned fans in her caption.

'Check in on your state of mind and check in on your body. Go to your routine health check. Take that walk. Read a book.

'Your body and mind are a priority. Make sure to show them love.'

Sarah Ferguson has urged her followers to show 'their body and mind love' on World Health Day - as she undergoes skin cancer treatment. Pictured after the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel last month

Sarah Ferguson has urged her followers to show 'their body and mind love' on World Health Day - as she undergoes skin cancer treatment. Pictured after the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel last month

The awareness day, championed by the World Health Organization, is celebrated on April 7 every year.

Sarah's encouraging message comes as the Royal Family has faced a bout of health issues, with herself, King Charles III and the Princess of Wales all undergoing cancer treatment. 

Last month, the mother of Princess Beatrice and Eugenie said she is 'full of admiration' for Kate Middleton for revealing her diagnosis. 

Taking to social media, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, fondly known as Fergie, payed tribute to the mother-of-three, saying that 'everyone is praying for her'.

In a heartfelt Instagram statement, the Duchess said: 'All my thoughts and prayers are with the Princess of Wales as she starts her treatment. 

'I know she will be surrounded by the love of her family and everyone is praying for the best outcome.

'As someone who has faced their own battles with cancer in recent months, I am full of admiration for the way she has spoken publicly about her diagnosis.'

Sarah  was herself diagnosed with skin cancer just months after having a mastectomy for breast cancer.

The Duchess of York , 64, shared the message in an Instagram post accompanied with a sweet snap of herself posing in a Wolf & Badger blazer

The Duchess of York , 64, shared the message in an Instagram post accompanied with a sweet snap of herself posing in a Wolf & Badger blazer

Sarah was herself diagnosed with skin cancer just months after having a mastectomy for breast cancer. Pictured with her daughters in November

Sarah was herself diagnosed with skin cancer just months after having a mastectomy for breast cancer. Pictured with her daughters in November

Kate speaking in a video message about her diagnosis
Charles and Queen Camilla pictured at the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service this year

Sarah's encouraging message comes as the Royal Family has faced a bout of health issues, with herself, King Charles III (right) and the Princess of Wales (left) all undergoing cancer treatment

Speaking about Kate's decision to reveal her own diagnosis, the Duchess added: I know it will do a tremendous amount of good to raise awareness.' 

She concluded the message, saying: 'I hope she will now be given the time, space and privacy to heal.' 

Fergie revealed her shock skin cancer diagnosis in January. The mother-of-two had a number of moles removed while undergoing breast reconstruction surgery last year, one of which was found to be malignant.

The duchess was described as being in 'good spirits' after the 'distressing' news, which was broken to her just days after Christmas.

A melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other areas of the body, mainly caused by exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun or sunbeds.

People with paler skin, a large number of moles and family history of skin cancer tend to be more at risk of developing this.

Friends at the time said Fergie is the 'most resilient' person they know and was already planning to pick up her television career again soon to encourage others to get themselves checked out.

One friend told the Mail that the duchess had been informed she would need 'further investigations' to make sure it has been caught at the early stages.

'Everyone is hoping this is the case and the doctors are hopeful they have got it early, but melanoma is aggressive and they need to double check everything,' they said.

Fergie revealed her shock skin cancer diagnosis in January, just six months after battling breast cancer. Pictured at the Christmas Day service in Sandringham in December

Fergie revealed her shock skin cancer diagnosis in January, just six months after battling breast cancer. Pictured at the Christmas Day service in Sandringham in December

They added of Sarah: 'She's very resilient and she does bounce back from things quite quickly but two diagnosis of cancer in six months, particularly when she thought she had just got over the breast cancer, is a lot for anyone to deal with and process.

'You hope you've beaten it and then get something like this.

'That's why she wanted to take herself off the Austria for a couple of weeks, to get her head around everything. She's back home now and the family have been very supportive.'

They also praised 'her girls' - Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie - who they said have been 'fantastic over the last six months'.

'They really have been brilliant over her breast cancer diagnosis. And they are already rallying around her,' they said.

The duchess was described as being in 'good spirits' after the 'distressing' news, which was broken to her just days after Christmas. Pictured speaking about her breast cancer battle on Loose Women in November

The duchess was described as being in 'good spirits' after the 'distressing' news, which was broken to her just days after Christmas. Pictured speaking about her breast cancer battle on Loose Women in November

What is malignant melanoma? 

Malignant melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer that begins in melanocytes, cells found in the upper layer of skin that produce melanin, which gives skin its colour.

While less common that other types of skin cancer, it is more dangerous because of its ability to spread to other organs more rapidly if it is not treated at an early stage.

Symptoms

A new mole or a change in an existing mole may be signs of melanoma.

Melanomas can appear anywhere on your body, but they're more common in areas that are often exposed to the sun.

Some rarer types can affect the eyes, soles of the feet, palms of the hands or genitals.

Check your skin for any unusual changes. Use a mirror or ask a partner or friend to check any areas you cannot see.

In particular, look for: 

  • Moles with an uneven shape or edges 
  • Moles with a mix of colours 
  • Large moles - melanomas often tend to be more than 6mm wide 
  • Moles that change size, shape or colour over time

Causes

Ultraviolet (UV) light is the most common cause of melanoma. It comes from the sun and is used in sunbeds.

Melanoma is more common in older people, but younger people can also get it.

You're also more likely to get melanoma if you have:

  • Pale skin that burns easily in the sun 
  • Red or blonde hair 
  • Blue or green eyes 
  • A large number of freckles or moles 
  • Had a lot of sun exposure and you've had sunburn a lot in the past 
  • Used sunbeds a lot 
  • A history of skin cancer in your family or you've had skin cancer before

If you have black or brown skin, you have a lower chance of getting melanoma, but you can still get it. 

 Prevention

Staying safe in the sun is the best way to lower your chance of getting skin cancer (both melanoma and non-melanoma). 

Do the following:

  • Stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day (11am to 3pm in the UK)
  • Keep your arms and legs covered and wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses that provide protection against ultraviolet (UV) rays
  • Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 and at least 4-star UVA protection – make sure you reapply it regularly
  • Make sure babies and children are protected from the sun – their skin is much more sensitive than adult skin

Treatment 

Melanoma skin cancer can often be treated. The treatment you have will depend on where it is, if it has spread and your general health.

Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma. Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used.

Surgery could involve removing the melanoma and an area of healthy skin around it, swollen lymph nodes if the cancer has spread to them and other parts of the body if it has spread to them.

If a large part of skin has to be removed, a skin graft might be needed which could see kin taken from another part of the body to cover the area where the melanoma was.

Radiotherpay is sometimes used to reduce the size of large melanomas and help control and relieve symptoms.

Targeted medicines and immotherapy are used to treat melanomas that can't be dealt with by surgery, or have spread to lymph glands or other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy, which kills cancer cells, is sometimes used to treat advanced melanoma when it has spread to another part of the body. It does not work as well as other treatments, but can be used if you are unable to have them.

How dangerous is it?

Generally for people with melanoma in England:

  • almost all people (almost 100%) will survive their melanoma for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed
  • around 90 out of every 100 people (around 90%) will survive their melanoma for 5 years or more after diagnosis
  • more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85%) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed

Sources: NHS, the Skin Cancer Foundation and Cancer Research UK

Meanwhile, earlier this month Sarah also enjoyed a trip to Samoa, sharing photos from the visit online.

Among the groups the royal met was the Poutasi Women’s Committee.

Some of the images show Sarah wearing garlands around her neck as she embraces some of the local people she met.

And in a photo from another engagement, she is seen dressed in white.

Meanwhile, a series of photographs shared a day earlier by the Duchess show her wearing a flower behind her ear during an appearance at Brown Girl Woke in Samoa.

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