15997/6The wife of politician James Gray has spoken of her gratitude to friends and well-wishers who have sent messages of support after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Sarah Gray, whose husband is fighting to retain his North Wiltshire seat for the Conservatives in Thursday's General Election, was diagnosed in the week the campaign commenced.

But she is keeping her spirits up. "Of course I have been thinking, why has this happened to me but it is important to stay positive," she said.

"I am a great believer that what goes on in your mind affects what happens in your body."

Mrs Gray, from Slaughterford, said the diagnosis was a shock, but the worst thing had been telling her three children, John, 21, Olivia, 18, and William, 14.

"On reflection I think it is the way you tell them that is important. They trust you absolutely and all responded in different ways. My elder son was totally practical and my daughter burst into tears."

The Gray family had hoped to keep the matter fairly private, although with the election campaign in full swing, and a huge team of party supporters coming and going, working in the office, it was impossible to keep the situation totally quiet.

But the news went public at a meeting of all five North Wiltshire Parliamentary candidates at St Andrew's Church in Chippenham on Sunday.

The last questioner of the evening asked candidates what they would like local churches to pray for and Mr Gray revealed the matter at the top of his mind concern for his wife.

Now the family have received letters and e-mails from people wishing Mrs Gray well for the future.

Mrs Gray had no idea she had developed cancer when she attended a routine breast screening session at Chippenham Hospital, two weeks before her 50th birthday. She didn't think anything more about it until a letter arrived inviting her for another examination.

The second check at Swindon's Great Western Hospital included an ultrasound examination and biopsy and then she had an agonising ten-day wait for the results.

"My brain just wasn't working during that time," she said. "You just carry on, working on autopilot. No matter how positive you try to be, the situation just swamps your mind."

Mr Gray coincidentally attended a meeting of the Chippenham Breast Cancer Awareness Group that evening where he was reassured that 90 per cent of lumps are not found to be malignant but on April 15 Mrs Gray discovered she was one of the unlucky ten per cent.

"We went to the Great Western Hospital. James came with me, and we were told it was a cancerous tumour," she said.

"I have to say it was a great shock."

An appointment was set up with a specialist at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, and the first date for an operation put forward was May 5 the date of the election so the procedure has been moved to May 12.

Mrs Gray will have a lumpectomy and radiotherapy. Chemotherapy is also a possibility. "I am not looking forward to any of it," she said.

But she praised the early detection and her treatment from the NHS as well as the support of Macmillan nurse Cherry Miller.

Mrs Gray said the situation had caused her to reassess her life. "My role has been a wife and mother but this makes you put yourself higher in the order," she said. "I do need to take things easier and ring a few changes.

"In the long run it will make me stronger and more understanding of other people in a similar situation."