Heartbreaking Podcast Tells The Story Of How This Mum Told Her Kids She Was Dying Of Cancer | HuffPost Life

'On Sunday we decided it was time to tell the kids.'

By

Life editor at HuffPost UK

A mum-of-two who blogged about having terminal bowel cancer and telling her kids she was going to die, has had her words brought to life in a heartbreaking podcast.

Katie Scarbrough, 32, from Belfast, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in June 2012. She died on 2 May 2013.

When she learnt her diagnosis was terminal she told her kids - Sam, now 12, and Sophie, now nine, - their mum’s medicine was no longer working. They were eight and four at the time.

“On Sunday we decided it was time to tell the kids,” Scarbrough wrote on her blog, that was read out on the podcast.

“We’ve said all along we don’t want to lie to them. We told them mummy’s medicine isn’t working anymore and there isn’t anything more the doctors can do for me.”

KatieScarbrough

Katie Scarbrough, her husband Stuart and their two children.

Scarbrough continued: “Sam looked at me and I asked him what that made him think. He said: ‘You’re going to die.’ I said: ‘Yes’.

“Stuart, Sam and I burst into tears. That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

“Sophie was bouncing round the room and so I explained to Sam that she doesn’t understand because she’s too young.

“He explained to her: ‘Mummy’s Calpol is not working’, and she came over and said she didn’t want me to die.”

‘Regrets of the Dying’ is a podcast about life, death and regrets. Each episode features a different person’s story. The voice isn’t Scarbrough’s but the story is.

Producer and founder Georgina Scull, 43, from Cambridge has brought the stories to life with permission from Katie’s husband, Stuart.

KatieScarbrough

Stuart Scarbrough told HuffPost UK: “I am pleased that Katie’s legacy continues with the podcast of the online blog that she wrote at www.katiescarbrough.co.uk to explain to others how she was feeling battling her own personal cancer journey.

“This seemed to reach out to others going though similar journeys and also give an insight to the family of those suffering what their loved ones were going through.

“When I first heard the podcast, it brought back some sad memories but I think it will be good for the kids to hear when they are older to see what part they played in supporting their mummy and hear her concern for their wellbeing.”

The podcast is an emotive listen for parents, as Scarbrough talks about all the things she’ll miss, like watching her children grow up and get married.

Scarbrough discusses having to cancel her children’s birthday parties because she is too weak and experiencing the last Christmas with them.

“I don’t want my kids to see me waste away,” the audience hears Scarbrough’s words. “I want them to know their mummy fought it until the end and didn’t give in.

“I would rather die on an operating table than die in a hospice. I wouldn’t want the kids to see me in any fragile state.

“I am not in denial. I know I have inoperable stage 4 cancer but I need the hope that maybe there is something more. If I don’t try what impression does that send to my kids?”

Listen to the full podcast here.

Scarbrough wanted to raise awareness of bowel cancer in young people by supporting Bowel Cancer UK’s Never2Young campaign to ensure that others sought help if they were suffering with the symptoms.

Before You Go

10 Famous Women Get Real About Breast Cancer

Dame Maggie Smith(01 of10)

Having cancer can knock your confidence and even film stars like Dame Maggie Smith aren't immune.

"It leaves you so flattened," the actress said following her cancer treatment.

"I’m not sure I could go back to theatre work, although film work is more tiring. I’m frightened to work in theatre now. I feel very uncertain. I haven’t done it for a while." (credit:Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

Kylie Minogue(02 of10)

Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, but she refuses to let the disease define her.

"Having had cancer, one important thing to know is you're still the same person at the end. You're stripped down to near zero," she told Good Housekeeping back in 2014.

"But most people come out the other end feeling more like themselves than ever before." (credit:Samir Hussein via Getty Images)

Jennifer Saunders(03 of10)

After her cancer diagnosis in 2009, Jennifer Saunders penned a humorous piece on the realities of treatment.

"The first time you have chemo is a bit scary, because you have no idea how you’re going to feel," she said.

"But let me tell you this: it’s basically like the most enormous hangover you’ve ever had in your whole life; it’s like a night on mixed spirits, wine and grappa. It’s a real cracker. It’s a humdinger." (credit:Empics Entertainment)

Shannen Doherty(04 of10)

Shannen Doherty said "the unknown" is the worst part of living with breast cancer.

"The unknown is always the scariest part," she told ET Online.

"Is the chemo going to work? Is the radiation going to work? You know, am I going to have to go through this again, or am I going to get secondary cancer? Everything else is manageable. Pain is manageable, you know living without a breast is manageable, it's the worry of your future and how your future is going to affect the people that you love." (credit:Jason LaVeris via Getty Images)

Olivia Newton-John(05 of10)

When Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, she learned that sometimes it's important to put yourself first.

"I learned very quickly how important it was for me to think positively," she said on her website.

"When the second friend I called with the news burst into tears, I thought - this is too stressful. I had to find someone else to handle the day to day discussions of my health so I could concentrate on healing." (credit:Ross Gilmore via Getty Images)

Wanda Sykes(06 of10)

In 2011, Wanda Sykes said her twins, who were just two years old at the time, were one of the reasons she opted to have a double mastectomy.

"We never hid anything from the kids. They were a huge part of my decision because I wanted to be around for them," she told People magazine.

"I feel whole again, I really do. I've told them, 'Mommy's boo-boo is much better now.'" (credit:Dennis Van Tine/ABACA USA)

Sharon Osbourne(07 of10)

Sharon Osbourne decided to have a double mastectomy in 2012 after discovering she has a faulty breast cancer gene, having already had treatment for the disease once.

"For me, it wasn’t a big decision, it was a no-brainer. I didn’t want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me," she said at the time.

"I didn’t even think of my breasts in a nostalgic way, I just wanted to be able to live my life without that fear all the time."

"It’s not 'pity me', it’s a decision I made that’s got rid of this weight that I was carrying around." (credit:Matt Crossick/PA Archive)

Janice Dickinson(08 of10)

In an interview shortly after her diagnosis, Janice Dickinson admitted she became scared for herself, but also for her family, when she was given a prognosis.

'It's still quite shocking. Today I got very scared... I just get very scared and it hit me [sic]. But I am not gonna let that define me, the fear," she said.

"I became fearful for my two children, my loving fiancé Rocky, we have a grandson, aged four, his name is baby Aby. I just thought they are gonna flip out." (credit:Paul Archuleta via Getty Images)

Cynthia Nixon(09 of10)

Cynthia Nixon had a lumpectomy and radiation therapy when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.

In 2008, she said being the daughter of a cancer survivor helped her get through the difficult period.

"As the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, knowing my personal risk made me more aware and more empowered when I faced my own diagnosis," she said.

"I want to help Susan G. Komen for the Cure [breast cancer charity] educate the 1.1 million women around the globe who face a diagnosis each year." (credit:Juan Naharro Gimenez via Getty Images)

Anastacia Lyn Newkirk(10 of10)

Anastacia Lyn Newkirk was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 then again in 2013, and decided to have a double mastectomy to stop the cancer from spreading.

She's now raising money for Cancer Research UK by appearing on 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

"After beating breast cancer twice, I'm really passionate about trying to do something to help change the odds for others who are affected by this terrible disease," she says on her fundraising page.

"It's so important for everyone to know what's normal for them and see their doctor with any changes, as spotting cancer at an early stage can make a huge difference." (credit:Chris Jackson via Getty Images)

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