![\"Sally](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_coverimages55357212.jpg\")
Sally Burton, 61<\/p>\nSally Burton says the double blow ‘took the wind out of her sails’<\/p>\n
08:25, 02 Jan 2026Updated 08:25, 02 Jan 2026<\/p>\n
Sally Burton, 61<\/p>\n
Having battled and overcome the challenges of cancer<\/a>, Sally Burton, 61, was looking forward to a brighter future. However, life had another devastating blow in store: a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS<\/a>).<\/p>\n The news was a shock for Sally, a mother of two and former midwife from Hedge End, Southampton, who had already faced one life-altering health<\/a> scare. Just a few years prior, her life had been straightforward and ordinary. “Before cancer, life was very busy but in a good way,” recalls Sally.<\/p>\n “I was working as a lead practice educator in midwifery, responsible for teaching all grades of staff. This was a job I absolutely loved, and I was always on the go both at home and at work.”<\/p>\n Sally’s first inkling that she might have cancer came during a mammogram. She experienced severe pain during the routine check and noticed nipple discharge on the machine, reports Bristol Live<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Despite an official letter confirming there was ‘no sign of cancer’ I knew this was abnormal and contacted the breast care team who were located within the hospital where I worked,” shares Sally, who is married to Adrian and has two children: Laura, 29, a midwife, and son Matthew, a chemical engineer, 31.<\/p>\n “Several appointments later, I met a concerned breast surgeon who wanted to carry out some exploratory surgery on my breast to identify the source of the problem. As a result of this surgery, I was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer. Once diagnosed, everything happened quite quickly: I had surgery and recovered with the help and support of my family and friends.”<\/p>\n The cancer diagnosis blindsided Sally and her loved ones, and the road to recovery proved difficult. She had a mastectomy and reconstruction but was fortunate enough to avoid chemotherapy.<\/p>\n After major surgery, Sally required a blood transfusion due to severe anaemia. She then spent years taking a drug called Tamoxifen, which triggered premature menopause.<\/p>\n READ MORE: ‘I lost more than twice my body weight after making major lifestyle change’<\/a>READ MORE: UKHSA issues ‘substantial impact on health’ alert as snow and ice forecast<\/a><\/p>\n “It’s an indescribable feeling when someone tells you that you have cancer,” Sally remembers. “Your mind goes everywhere at once: total disbelief, fear and sadness. Sadness that I would have to cause upset and concern sharing my diagnosis with my family.<\/p>\n “But I also felt determined and found an inner strength that I didn’t know I had. The treatment was tough physically and emotionally, but I was delighted that I did not need chemotherapy.”<\/p>\n As though battling cancer wasn’t enough of a struggle, Sally was simultaneously dealing with a spinal bulge diagnosis that stubbornly resisted physiotherapy. This led to sciatica down her left leg and severe lower back pain.<\/p>\n Just a fortnight following her operation, she began physiotherapy sessions to address the spinal issue. Yet despite consistent treatment, the sciatic pain in her left leg persisted, even after receiving a spinal injection. Meanwhile, tingling sensations she’d been experiencing grew more noticeable.<\/p>\n “When I saw a senior specialist physiotherapist, I confessed I was feeling tingling in my face and arms and was referred for an MRI of my spinal cord and brain,” says Sally.<\/p>\n “In the next few months, I started to experience strange symptoms: walking into walls, balance issues, fatigue, memory problems. My thinking and processing skills were also affected. At first, I thought it was just the after-effect of everything I had been through.<\/p>\n “Unfortunately, this all coincided with my new job as a maternity investigator. This was going to be my dream job, and I couldn’t wait to start.”<\/p>\n However, whilst completing her initial training weeks, Sally underwent scans of her spinal cord and brain that uncovered multiple lesions. Heartbreakingly, these lesions appeared consistent with multiple sclerosis.<\/p>\n She was stunned by the revelation that having beaten cancer, she now faced another devastating diagnosis.<\/p>\n “It was devastating and I remember thinking, ‘Someone has got it wrong’,” Sally says. “Having two life-changing diagnoses in a short space of time seemed so unlikely.<\/p>\n “To survive cancer and then be told you have MS: it takes the wind out of your sails. I was also so very sad to have to share a second diagnosis with family and friends. Cancer had already taken so much from me, but MS took my career. I was medically retired earlier than I ever expected, and that was incredibly hard.<\/p>\n “My job had been such a big part of who I was. It was my purpose and meaning. I grieved for the loss of my final chapter of my career.”<\/p>\n Despite the devastating news, Sally refused to let it defeat her, keeping herself occupied both mentally and physically. She now volunteers at a wellbeing caf\u00e9 every Monday, leads a walking group, and has set up an antenatal teaching business.<\/p>\n “A diagnosis like this isn’t the end of you,” she says. “You can still use your skills in different ways – teaching, volunteering, doing activities that give you energy instead of exhausting you. Staying busy helps me focus on life beyond MS.”<\/p>\n Sally has also thrown herself into rock choir singing to lift her mood. She recently put together a fundraising concert alongside her Rock Choir Leader, Jan Moll, and mate Jackie, to support the MS Trust and other charities helping those living with neurological conditions.<\/p>\n “Music, especially Rock Choir, has been a lifeline,” she explains. “I’ve always loved singing, but since my diagnosis, it’s become a way to stay connected, joyful, and active.<\/p>\n “Seeing over 300 people come together to support people like me was incredibly emotional. Supported by my consultant, I shared my story, giving a speech to the audience. I was extremely proud to wear my MS Trust T shirt and represent the charity.”<\/p>\n Sally is also keen to highlight what living with MS really means, likening it to an iceberg \u2013 whilst she might appear fine on the surface, there’s a lot happening beneath that others can’t see.<\/p>\n “MS varies, it’s unpredictable, no two people experience it the same way,” she explains. “I also wish more people knew where to turn for reliable information. When I was first diagnosed, both my family and I found the MS Trust extremely helpful – their information was clear, evidence-based, and made everything feel a bit less overwhelming. They were also kind, caring and knowledgeable when I asked random questions.”<\/p>\n Despite her diagnosis, Sally counts her blessings \u2013 particularly that her MS was identified later in life. She’s committed to maintaining an upbeat outlook, even when things get tough.<\/p>\n “I feel grateful for my family, my mobility, my treatment, and the age I was when I was diagnosed,” she says. “I’m very aware that some people face this in their 20s or 30s, or with young families.<\/p>\n “I also want people to know that disease-modifying therapy can help to slow the progression of the disease. There is hope and you can still live a full, meaningful life with MS. It doesn’t need to define you. I have MS, but it doesn’t have me.”<\/p>\n To learn more about the MS Trust or to make a donation, visit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sally Burton says the double blow ‘took the wind out of her sails’ 08:25, 02 Jan 2026Updated 08:25,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350176,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[22068,2199,847,64205,59,102,2196,657,10596,8667,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-350175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-back-pain","tag-breast-cancer","tag-cancer","tag-charities","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-hospitals","tag-menopause","tag-multiple-sclerosis","tag-therapy","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Sally](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_coverimages55357210.jpg\")
Sally with her daughter, Laura<\/p>\n![\"Sally](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_coverimages55357217.jpg\")
Sally said having two life-changing diagnoses in a short space of time seemed ‘so unlikely’<\/p>\n![\"Sally](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_coverimages55357213.jpg\")
Sally could barely believe it when she received the diagnoses one after the other<\/p>\n