When Ann and Hugh Sutherland step onto the catwalk at a charity fashion show at P&J Live this week it will be special in more ways than one.
The couple, from near Meikle Wartle in Aberdeenshire, will be the first husband and wife to take part in Brave and Courage on the Catwalk, the Friends of Anchor events that feature models who have experience with cancer or blood disease.
Hugh, 67, who recently survived oesophagal cancer, will take part in Brave, the men’s show that runs across Thursday and Friday night. Ann, 64, a breast-cancer survivor, is a star of Saturday and Sunday’s Courage on the Catwalk.
But while the pair are eagerly looking forward to strutting their stuff — and show off their moves in front of hundreds of people — they say their appearances in the shows also represent something more personal.
It is a chance for them to finally draw a line under two years of cancer hell.
“Cancer turns you into an emotional wreck,” says Hugh, a retired helicopter engineer.
“Nobody prepares you for the aftermath, for the post-surgery, for getting the all-clear; this journey that we start on once the treatment is finished.
“And it’s a tough, tough journey with lots of tears.”
The cancer stories behind husband and wife’s fashion show appearances
Hugh, who also goes by the Gaelic version of his name Uisdean, was diagnosed with oesophogeal cancer in late 2022.
He underwent “major, major” surgery in April 2023 after several grueling rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour.
The extended Sutherland family, which includes son Euain, daughter Amy, son-in-law Michael and grandchildren Allie and Penny, endured a difficult festive season.
Two weeks before Hugh was diagnosed, Ann’s mum died. For Ann, a secondary school maths teacher, the situation was overwhelming.
“I really hadn’t had a chance to grieve for my mum because we were so worried about Hugh,” she says. “There were too many things to worry about. I couldn’t really deal with any of it.”
Ten weeks after the surgery, Hugh was told he was cancer-free. Oesophageal cancer has one of the lowest survival rates and Hugh was one of the lucky ones.
But the joy was short-lived, and 24 hours later Ann received a phone call. They had found anomalies. A further ultrasound found a lump, and eventually she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I wasn’t even shocked when they discovered the lump,” she says. “I was just so numb.”
Ann and Hugh learn there can be worse things than having cancer
By swapping one diagnosis for another, Ann and Hugh, who have been married for 44 years, learned an interesting lesson — watching a loved one suffer with cancer can be more difficult than having it yourself.
Ann says her own cancer news didn’t really sink in because she was more concerned about Hugh, who despite still being frail from his operation insisted he accompany her on hospital visits.
Hugh, meanwhile, was having his own conflicted emotions.
“My own personal cancer was a walk in the park compared to what I felt for Ann,” Hugh says.
“I just thought, I can’t lose you now after what I’ve been through. It was just the most horrible thing.
“And it’s only then that you realise what your friends and family have been through.”
Mince and tatties, and a nomination for Brave and Courage on the Catwalk
Ann eventually had a mastectomy and a course of radiotherapy and is now back at work. But for the couple, the post-cancer period was difficult to adjust to.
Hugh still feels the effects of his cancer operation, which took out most of his oesophagus and included being fed through a tube in his stomach for five months in total.
He lost three stone, though he is now putting the weight back on as his appetite returns, with mince and tatties a firm favourite on the menu.
What has helped get their lives back on track is being nominated and then chosen to take part in Brave and Courage on the Catwalk.
“There’s nothing fraudulent about cancer,” says Hugh. “And with Brave, it’s a support group. And we’re here to support each other.”
Brave and Courage a chance to repay Friends of Anchor
As well as drawing a line under the past few years, this week’s Brave and Courage on the Catwalk shows are a chance for Ann and Hugh to repay the Friends of Anchor volunteers and staff who helped them through their cancers.
The two are both raising money for the Aberdeen-based cancer and blood disease charity, which this year celebrates 10 years of Courage and six years of Brave.
The show — and its many practice sessions and rehearsals — have also seen the couple form rock-solid connections with their fellow models, who come from all walks of life and vary greatly in age.
Comedian Aiden Cowie, who survived a rare sarcoma in his sinuses, is 25, while the oldest member of the Brave 2024 cohort, Alastair Henderson, is 90.
“We are really close-knit group, because we’ve all been through a heck of a journey,” says Hugh, who organised a get-together for about 15 Brave participants at his home two weeks ago.
“And you know, some of the guys are still going through that journey.”
That was underlined last week one of this year’s Brave cohort, Stuart Davidson, passed away. Stuart, from Dunecht, was 66.
His death highlights the toll cancer still takes despite medical advances that have increased survival rates for many conditions in the past few years.
“Just devastating,” says Hugh. “It’s a reality check. This is cancer. We’re going to lose people.”
An emotional night with both tears and laughter
Stuart’s passing means Thursday night will be even more emotional when the Brave models take to the stage at P&J Live for the first of their two outings.
But though there will definitely be tears, there will be laughter, too.
And Hugh has no doubt who the star of the evening will be — 90-year-old Alastair has been delighting everyone in the rehearsals and is ready to wow the Aberdeen audience.
“He finishes off the show, and so he should,” laughs Hugh. “He’s just going to bring the place down.”
Hugh will take part in Brave 2024 at P&J Live on May 16 and 17 while Ann features in Courage on the Catwalk on May 18 and 19. They are raising money for the Friends of Anchor charity through their JustGiving page here.