'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella opens up about brain tumor journey
Sophie Kinsella, the author of the popular “Shopaholic” book series is opening up about her journey with cancer after announcing she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a cancerous and aggressive brain tumor, in 2022.
To date, Kinsella, whose birth name is Madeleine Wickham, has sold over 45 million books, according to her website.
Her first book in the Shopaholic series, "The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic," was published in 2000. The series was adapted into a movie, "Confessions of a Shopaholic," starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
In an interview with "Good Morning America" that aired on Tuesday, Kinsella, joined by her husband Henry Wickham, reflected on her success with the "Shopaholic" book series while speaking to "GMA" co-anchor Robin Roberts.
She shared she first came up with the idea while she was in a shop.
"I was thinking about my visa bill, and so many of us go through the same emotions, the shock, the anger, the denial," she recalled. "And I suddenly thought, ‘Wait, we all go through this? This is universal.’ And that inspired me to write my own character, who shops perhaps just a little too much."
"Each character in each of her books is a little bit of her and a little bit of exaggeration," Wickham added.
In April, Kinsella revealed in a statement shared on social media that she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2022. She wrote that she waited to share the diagnosis publicly to give her children time to adapt to the family's "new normal."
During the interview with Roberts, Kinsella spoke about the moments when she first experienced something unusual with her body that eventually led to the diagnosis.
"The first symptoms that I had was ... my legs. I was stumbling, I was tripping," she said. "I started getting very severe headaches. I got very confused. But it was really when I started tipping over in my chair that we realized something really was wrong."
Wickham later took Kinsella to the hospital, where she received a brain scan that revealed a grade 4 glioblastoma brain tumor. Kinsella underwent surgery nearly 10 days later.
"It was an eight-hour operation," she shared. "They found the tumor, and they got it all out as much as they could see. ... You have to take your triumphs where you can. And the surgery was a triumph."
Kinsella led with a triumphant spirit throughout her difficult rehab and recovery process after the surgery left an impact on both her memory and movement.
"I couldn't do anything. And I had to have rehab in all of these areas," she said, before recalling one particular incident that she was able to find humor in despite the challenges.
"This will make you laugh," she began. "So, being in Britain, they said you have to be able to make a cup of tea. They won’t let you go home until you can prove you can make a cup of tea. ... I could see that this was funny, even though it was actually very daunting."
Wickham told Roberts that due to the memory loss Kinsella experienced as a side effect, he had to keep repeating things to her because she would forget so quickly.
Kinsella added that her memory loss continues, saying, "I just have these gaps in my memory, and it's never really got[ten] back to normal."
Glioblastoma is an extremely aggressive brain tumor with no known cure according to the American Cancer Society, which added that the 5-year survival rate could be as low as 6%.
Treatments are available, and the exact underlying cause is typically unknown.
Kinsella underwent both chemotherapy and radiation, and doctors recommended she continue taking weekly chemotherapy pills at home.
Kinsella described Wickham, with whom she shares five children, as both her caregiver and pillar throughout her journey.
"He has just been such a hero," she said. "He stayed with me in the hospital the whole time. I once said to him, I got very teary at one stage and I said, 'Oh my God, but you didn't sign up for this.’ And do you know what he said? He said, ‘Yes, I did. In sickness and in health.'"
When it came to the decision to share the news with the public, the couple said they thoughtfully took their time to let their kids find peace with their new normal.
"We actually went to see a counselor specifically to ask, 'How shall we do this?,' and took her advice," Kinsella said. "We were honest, but not gloomy; we were optimistic but realistic. ... Life is carrying on."
Wickham shared the advice he would give to others who are going through similar experiences.
"Well, first of all, I would say it's a privilege. I mean, it's a privilege to be here," he said as he began to tear up. "But, you know, keep going, keep going."
Added Kinsella, "Every morning, he brings me a cup of tea. And he comes to me with a story of hope. I've already lasted more than the average. So, you know, that's how we get through. ... We just hope."
To maintain a positive outlook, Kinsella said she and her family "just stay in the moment, and just think - 'Right now things are good, and you can’t expect anything more than that.'"
Recently, Kinsella announced her new novel, titled, "What Does It Feel Like," described as a "deeply personal novella" that focuses on an author, Eve, who is facing a devastating cancer diagnosis, according to the book's publisher, Dial Press, part of Penguin Random House.
"It's fiction, but it's about an author with five children who gets brain cancer. So you can detect the inspiration," Kinsella said. "And I just thought people might be curious to know what it feels like to go through this."
She continued, "It's funny in parts. It's sad in parts. But I hope it's full of optimism and love most of all."
When it comes to her own real-life journey, Kinsella said her "happy ending" is focused on her family.
"My happy ending is that whatever happens to me, my family is OK," she said. "I think that's my happy ending because that's what I care about."
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