Real Housewives Star Shares Cancer Journey

Real Housewives of Jersey star Tessa Hartmann has shared her cancer journey to try and encourage more people to support the research being done to try and beat the disease.

Cancer Research UK has launched the 'Play Your Part' campaign to show that everyone can help in that effort.

The mum of four spoke with her husband Sascha about the impact the disease has had on both of their lives.

"You know a year ago when I started talking about it, it was an unbelievable thing because strangers contacted me and actually sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger than it is you (Sascha).

"So I see it now as being all of our jobs, every person who has been touched by it, to talk about it, to share it, to realise that everything you and I have gone through is just part of the road isn't it.

"I feel just because of what we've been through and because we made it, I'm hungrier for life in so many different ways.

"I know some people aren't as lucky as me, but by god, it would be a sin for me not to make the best of every day - and I am grateful every day to have my husband Sascha in my life. That may be a bit too much of a compliment for him but it’s true."

She's now fit and well after being treated in 2017.

Nearly 600 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in Jersey each year.

Tessa is also hopeful that sharing her experience will encourage others to get checked if they have any concerns.

"Early detection can be a life saver. Without research, I might not be here.

"Sascha and I first met on a skiing holiday in Switzerland, got engaged after six weeks and married after six months. We have been through so much together and there have been some bumps on that rollercoaster over these 25 years.

"But the summer’s day we renewed our wedding vows felt almost overwhelming. It was all the more special and emotional because of everything that has happened. I had to pinch myself. I was there surrounded by all the people in my life who I love. Sascha and I both felt we were lucky to be alive and that was something to celebrate."

Money donated to Cancer Research UK in Jersey goes towards work carried out in the Southampton Cancer Research Centre.

150 scientists, doctors, and nurses are there to treat patients and carry out clinical trials.

"We’re grateful to Tessa and Sascha for their support. 

"COVID-19 has hit us hard, but we are more focussed than ever on our ambition of seeing 3 in 4 people survive their cancer by 2034. 

"This past year proves, more than any other, the value of research and what can be achieved together. Just like science is our route out of the pandemic, science is our route to beating cancer. 

"That’s why we want to harness the ‘people power’ of our incredible supporters, because the progress we make relies on every hour of research, every pound donated and everyone who gets involved.

"So, whether people give £2 a month, sign up to Race for Life, volunteer at our shops or pledge to leave a gift in their will - with the help of people across the Channel Islands, we believe that together we will beat cancer." - Lynn Daly, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the Channel Islands.