Firstly, no I do not have cancer and the sharing of my thoughts is just that, my thoughts. I do not know what it must feel like to hear those words that you dread, but I have had family and friends that have had to bear hearing them.
Why I am I writing about this? Well it is in the light of the tragic news that the Princess of Wales, Katherine, has been diagnosed with cancer. I have sat with disbelief about the media frenzy about Kate over the last couple of months. Both in main stream media and on social media. With constant pressure to be told what is going on. But seriously what has something so personal and heart breaking got to do with us. Why does our society feel we have the right to know every single little detail about the Royal family?
Putting it into perspective, you have a young woman who has had to undergo quite significant abdominal surgery. You can get that by the time of the recover and stay in hospital etc. Who has then felt pressured to provide photos and be “seen” whilst being given the most devastating news imaginable. All at a time when protecting your children and family is paramount along with, I assume, coming to terms with the news. Processing what is going to happen next, understanding the treatment, the recover, the chances, all under the gaze of the world’s prying eyes.
My experience of cancer has been through supporting friends and family who have suffered to varying degrees from this cruel disease. I say supporting, I am not really sure I even did that. Tried to be there, to be a helping hand, to listen, to be ranted at, to be actually in some cases just normal. After the impact of cancer for some doing normal things and being normal was something they craved. They didn’t want to be labelled “cancer suffer” or “cancer survivor”, they just wanted to be themselves and go out and do normal things. Sounds a bit silly maybe but for these friends that matter. On the flip side, it is recognising that recovery from cancer can be long, even after all the physical symptoms have been treated and resolved. The mental and psychological impact of cancer is huge. You want to get on with life and get back to normal, but what is normal anymore. Just cause the treatment has finished doesn’t mean it is all over and so it is a fine line in wanting to be normal, but also recognising that you might not quite be there yet.
So imagine on top of all of this, having a young family and a husband, there is also this expectation and pressure from the worlds media. Not sure I would have coped. I take my hat off to Kate and the dignity that she has shown to the world and the honesty that she has shared at this difficult time. I imagine that behind the scene she just wants to scream, “FUCK OFF”, leave me be. I wish Kate all the best wishes in the world and that she has speedy treatment and recovery. That there is someone there for her and her family and that they are left to work through this difficult time without constant hounding.
Along with these well wishes, I also wish King Charles a speedy recover and hope that the Royal family are getting the support they need during this time. Without a media frenzy.
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