A Farnham-based tennis coach has returned to the courts after defeating her toughest opponent yet.
Sarah Chikhaoui has thanked her students and colleagues at The Bourne Club for their support after being diagnosed with stage two breast cancer.
She has been given the all-clear by her consultant to head back to the court full time following an 11-month battle with the disease.
The victory means the 39-year-old can continue her passion for coaching tennis.
She said: “Returning to the court means everything to me.
“Tennis has always been my passion, and I am excited to share that love with my students again. They were such a wonderful support after my diagnosis and during my treatment.
“It is incredibly special to be back on court with them.”
Following her diagnosis, Sarah was worried about the impact it would have on her children.
She initially wanted to protect them from the news. However, once the mother of two began her treatment programme and the side effects became harder to hide, she knew she would have to break the news to them.
She said: “As a mother, telling your children that one of their parents is extremely sick is one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced.
“It’s the news no-one wants to have to tell, and both my son and daughter were old enough to understand the possible outcomes.”
Sarah underwent months of treatment including chemotherapy at Frimley Park Hospital and Radiotherapy at The Royal Surrey Hospital.
She said: “I also must thank the team at Frimley Park Hospital and The Royal Surrey Hospital for their unwavering commitment.
“There were many days when I was not sure if I was mentally strong enough to deal with my diagnosis and the subsequent treatment, but they got me and my family through some very dark and frightening times.”