Swansea comic stood up to cancer

They say laughter is the best medicine, so when stand-up comic Sian Fisher (pictured above) was diagnosed with breast cancer she wrote a new set.

The Swansea mother of two chose to laugh her way through treatment rather than cry – although she does admit shedding a few tears when her hair began falling out.

“I wonder sometimes if I have really taken on board what has happened to me,” she said. “Because I did laugh all the way through it.”

Sian is sharing her story to thank the “phenomenal” staff at the Singleton Hospital-based South West Wales Cancer Centre or SWWCC.

The centre is run by Swansea Bay University Health Board and provides a range of lifesaving NHS treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.

It celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and a fundraising appeal has been launched by Swansea Bay Health Charity, the health board’s official charity, to commemorate the landmark.

The appeal, Going the Extra Mile for Cancer, will support the thousands of patients from the Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda areas who are cared for there every year, as well as relatives and staff.

A regular on the South Wales comedy circuit, Sian first noticed something was wrong in December 2022.

She said: “I was in the shower, and I felt a lump. I know I’m normally an anxious person, but I told myself, it’s going to be fine. It’s going to be fatty tissue or a blocked duct.

There are lots of women with lumps.

“That was on a Friday evening, just before my work’s Christmas do, which I went to, then I had an appointment with my doctor on the Monday. I was sent for a mammogram, and they took a biopsy.

“I was told the breast was unsalvageable. I was pretty much in shock. I was glad I had my mother there.”

Sian was diagnosed with one of the most common forms of breast cancer, invasive ductal carcinoma, but her worries were eased by the caring staff.

She said: “The consultant at that point was Mr Firas Ibrahim. He has such a lovely, gentle way about him. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got you’. And I just trusted him.

“The whole team were absolutely phenomenal. You couldn’t ask for better care. They were just so fantastic. Very caring, very professional, very down to earth. Just really good care.”

Sian was promptly booked in for a mastectomy.

She said: “It snowed on the day that I went into hospital. I was singing to myself, ‘It’s like snow on your operation day’, to the tune of Alanis Morissette’s hit, Ironic.”

Reconstruction surgery followed. Sian, aged 50, had an implant to replace the surgically removed breast, and the other breast was uplifted.

“I joke that I came out with better boobs than when I went in!” she said.

“Because of my sticky blood type I had to have the surgery and reconstruction done at the same time because I’m at serious risk of clotting.

“Mr Reza Arya did my surgery, and he was super wonderful. As were the girls in the breast clinic who had to dress my wounds all the time.”

But it was far from plain sailing. It took a while for Sian’s breasts to heel, and she required eight weeks of preventative chemotherapy. “And yeah, I lost my hair. That was upsetting and I did cry.”

But Sian was determined to follow the showbiz mantra – the show must go on. Within days of surgery she went to an open mic gig in Kick Ass Comedy in Swansea’s Wind Street – doing a five-minute set with a drain bag still in.

“Comedy is tragedy plus timing. We all have our own personal tragedies, and I’ve just made a set out of mine,” she said.

“My material was all about cancer. I think some people would avoid it like the plague because it’s a horrible disease, and so many people haven’t been as fortunate as me.

“But what about all the people who have been as fortunate as me? It can give people hope. It is scary, but you could be all right. I was all right.

“Nine times out of 10 the audience has been fine. People have applauded and spoken to me afterwards saying I’m so brave. Then they tell me their personal stories. There are so many people affected by cancer.

“Some people have left crying. They have had a worse time of it and lost someone and it has been too raw, so I have to include a trigger warning so they can leave and come back.”

Despite appearing so upbeat Sian knows she could not have coped on her own. “I’m not a superhero. There were so many people who had my back.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child – I had a whole community backing me. Mostly my mum, but also my employers and work colleagues, the comedy community, my sister and my friends.

“Everybody was mega supportive. I’m so grateful to all of them.”

Sian always includes the message at the end of her set for others to be aware of any warning signs and make an appointment to see a doctor if they were concerned about anything.

She said: “Don’t ignore any signs for fear it may mean the worse because there’s so much that can be done these days.

“Check yourself out, and if you find something, don’t be scared and leave it. It may be nothing but if it’s not, there’s so much research gone into treatment.”

Follow this link if you want to support the Going the Extra Mile for Cancer appeal.

And follow this link to find out more about Going the Extra Mile for Cancer.