Sarah Carr wants to be there for her two daughters as much as possible
A long-serving police officer is “fighting for more tomorrows” after receiving the news her skin cancer has spread. Sarah Carr, 49, from Hull, was diagnosed with melanoma in 2016 when she was six months pregnant with her second daughter.
Melanoma is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, with cases rising. Sarah’s only symptom was a mole on her back which had existed for years before it began to grow.
Despite going through numerous surgeries and rounds of immunotherapy at Castle Hill Hospital over the past nine years, Sarah has maintained a positive attitude. Sadly, she recently made the difficult decision to tell her daughters, age 13 and nine, about her diagnosis.
Last Wednesday, November 12, Sarah was due to have surgery to remove the cancer from her pancreas, where it had spread. Sadly, it was cancelled when doctors reviewed her CT scan, which showed it had spread further and was now in her hip, meaning there would be little benefit to surgery.
The only treatment Sarah can now have on the NHS is further immunotherapy, which has made her severely ill in the past, resulting in weeks spent in hospital and high doses of steroids. Friends are now fundraising for Sarah to have a second opinion and possible alternative treatments.
At the time of writing, the GoFundMe, Sarah’s Journey: Fighting For More Tomorrows, has not reached its target. You can donate here.
“This isn’t about me,” Sarah said. “This is for my girls.”
While undergoing treatment for cancer, Sarah continued working for Humberside Police in the Youth Offending Team which she described as “very rewarding”. In recognition of her courage and hard work, she won the Women in Policing award in 2024.
It described her as someone who is “outwardly strong” and “exudes positivity” with an “infectious smile”. The same night Sarah picked up her trophy, she ended up in hospital – having suffered a severe reaction to her immunotherapy infusion.
Sarah said: “I want to raise awareness of how serious melanoma is. This started with a mole on my back and I still can’t believe it has plagued me for such a long time.
“So many people are still going on sunbeds, so many people don’t use sun cream. People do not know how serious it is. Throughout my journey, I have met a lot of people and people are dying from it. We are all doing as much as we can to survive.”