'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella sends message to fans after revealing brain cancer diagnosis
The author of the "Shopaholic" book series that was turned into a hit movie is sending a message to fans after revealing she is battling glioblastoma, a cancerous and aggressive brain tumor.
Sophie Kinsella, 54, said in a new video message that the "wave of love" she has felt since publicly announcing her diagnosis has felt "surreal."
"It has just blown me away," Kinsella said in the video, which was shared Friday on Instagram. "I don't know what I expected, but I really was quite overwhelmed by how generous and warm and loving you have all been to me and to my family, and it means the world. It really does."
Later in the message, Kinsella said she was "moved to tears" by the messages she received, saying, "I have been sitting and reading all of them. I don't always get the chance to reply or like some, but I read them and they mean everything."
On Wednesday, Kinsella revealed in a statement shared on social media that she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2022. She wrote that she took time to share the diagnosis publicly to give her children time to adapt to the family's "new normal."
Kinsella, whose birth name is Madeleine Wickham, added that she is currently undergoing chemotherapy after already completing radiation and surgery at University College Hospital in London.
The "Shopaholic" author said in her new message Friday that she feels "lucky" both for her health and all the support she has received.
"I feel very lucky that I am, well, first of all, that I'm in good enough health to be doing this, and that, as you see me, I feel fit and well at the moment," Kinsella said. "And then I feel so doubly lucky to be surrounded by such love. And that's all I can call it."
Glioblastoma is considered a rare but "very aggressive" form of cancer that develops from a type of brain cell known as an astrocyte, according to the U.S. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center.
Symptoms of the cancer can include headache, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness, according to the Center.
Treatments are available, but there is no known cure for the glioblastoma, and the exact underlying cause is typically unknown. It is the same type of cancer that claimed the life of longtime senator and former presidential candidate John McCain in 2018.
Kinsella offered her support to others affected by cancer, saying, "I know that some of you are going through a similar disease, or your loved one is, or you're just going through some hardship at the moment, and I share in that. We'll get through it together."
The U.K.-based author closed her message by saying, "I'll see you again on here, but meanwhile, I love you. Thank you."
Kinsella's books have sold over 45 million copies, according to her website. Her first book in the Shopaholic series, "The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic," was published in 2000.
The series was later turned into a Disney movie, "Confessions of a Shopaholic," starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.
In addition to the Shopaholic series, Kinsella has written over one dozen other novels, starting with her first book, "The Tennis Party, which she wrote under her birth name, according to her website.
Kinsella's most recent book, "Burnout," was published last year.
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