Empathy and Reflection: A Shared Cancer Journey

"Even members of the royal family, who undoubtedly have the best medical care in the world, can experience such things, which means it can happen to anyone," said Maia Kennedy, a 38-year-old from London, regarding Kate Middleton's cancer. This reflection occurred to her naturally since she had gone through the same illness as the Princess of Wales. "If you're a young, healthy woman, you never think it could happen to you," Maia added, wanting to share her story. In December 2023, the woman went to the doctor complaining of unusual nausea and some changes in bowel habits, which were initially thought to be related to acid reflux problems. However, the analyses immediately revealed that there was something else, and Maia underwent a colonoscopy that showed the presence of a mass. The biopsy then determined that it was a precancerous tumor in the colon. "I feel a lot of empathy for what Kate is going through, it's a difficult time, perhaps even more so being under everyone's gaze. The course of the disease reminds me of what I went through myself," Maia reported. The abdominal surgery that the princess underwent also aimed to remove a mass that was later found to be malignant. Last month, Maia Kennedy had a part of her colon removed and had to wait several weeks before receiving the call with the results of her cancer diagnosis. The 38-year-old Londoner managed to avoid chemotherapy and is now in remission, unlike Kate, who has already started undergoing preventive chemotherapy. "Hearing the princess's words was very moving for me; I started to think: what if I had never noticed, what if I had to undergo chemotherapy like she did?".