Samantha Rathling was left devastated when she received her breast cancer diagnosis, saying that telling her three children she was undergoing treatment was the “hardest conversation” she’s ever had

A single-mum-of-three has revealed her difficult decision to wait five weeks to tell her children about her breast cancer diagnosis, undergoing the same treatment as the Princess of Wales. Samantha Rathling, from Derby, East Mids, found a lump in her breast in 2023 and went to the GP straight away.

After being referred to the breast clinic for a mammogram and ultrasound, as well as a biopsy, Samantha, 47, soon received the news that she had been diagnosed with grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma – a high grade breast cancer that’s aggressive and more likely to spread.

“Telling my children I had cancer was really hard,” she says. “The toughest conversation I’ve ever had was with my 11-year-old, who has ADHD and other neurodiverse challenges. I used metaphors, calling my tumour ‘Larry the Lump’, and using phrases like: ‘Larry’s going to exit the building’ about my surgery. The older two children I told earlier in the process, as they were better able to understand.”

Samantha opened up on the difficulty in revealing her cancer diagnosis to her three children

Samantha’s daughters shaved their heads in support of their mother
One person who understands this all too well is the Princess of Wales, who has gone through the same preventative cancer treatment as Samantha. Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis to the public on March 22, 2024.

It’s understood she wanted to tell her children before the news broke online, giving them time to process it and reassuring them that she would be okay. A plethora of conspiracy theories surrounded Kate’s health at the time, with the Princess absent from numerous public appearances.

In a new interview with 60 Minutes Australia (via GB News), Prince William and Kate’s former royal aide Jason Knauf revealed why Kate and William waited to announce the difficult news. “They didn’t want to say yet that she had cancer because they hadn’t told the children and they were still working through how to tell the children,” Knauf explained.

Telling children about cancer diagnosis’ can be tough, with Samantha, owner of a marketing business, revealing she waited five weeks to process the news before telling her youngsters. Her three children, aged 12, 15, and 18, were told in stages about her diagnosis and treatment plan.

She says: “I knew I would need to speak separately to my youngest daughter and in a different way. I waited until I knew what I was dealing with, full diagnosis, what stage, what the plan was and how the surgeons and consultants were going to help me before I sat her down and spoke to her.

“This was about five weeks after I found my lump, it was her birthday in November, so I waited until after her birthday so that she didn’t have a negative association with her birthday.”

Samantha also received support from a Breast Cancer Support Nurse in telling her children the news. “I am their whole world,” she says.

She adds it was the “hardest conversation of my life”, explaining to her children that she had a treatment plan in place and that she was going to get sick before she gets better. “We all cried together,” she adds.

Samantha’s daughters chose to shave their hair in support of their mother, raising more than £3,000 for Cancer Research UK. Since her diagnosis, Samantha has had a lumpectomy and preventative chemotherapy.

Kate and William’s former royal aide also discussed the Prince of Wales’s reaction to the news. “It was awful, absolutely awful. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him.”

Kate has now completed her chemotherapy treatment, saying she is “focused on staying cancer free”. Meanwhile, Samantha has also completed six rounds of chemotherapy, and 10 radiotherapy treatments to keep the cancer at bay.

She is now on medication to stop cancer cells growing, hoping to raise more money for Cancer Research UK who helped her with her journey. Samantha is supporting Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in partnership with Standard Life. Visit raceforlife.org.