The difference between cancer life as a royal and as a "lesser mortal"

[sixtyandsomething]

not to derail other threads..

I have nothing against the Princess of Wales, I am sure she is a lovely person and I wish her well. however, let's not pretend she is facing the same struggles as the rest of us.

I bet you £10 she hasn't had to deal with any of these! (feel free to add your own)

-40+ calls to DWP, often being left on hold for 2 hours or more
-many months delay in benefits being processed, leaving you without any income at all
-DWP advising you to "find a food bank"
-struggle up the hill on crutches to get a bus to chemo
-appointments delayed and cancelled, blood tests lost and repeated, regular system "crashes" leaving medical staff with no access to your notes.
-never seeing the same medical professionals twice.
-consultant appointments cancelled when you have already travelled several hours to the hospital
-telephone appointments you have to sit and wait by the phone for, for the whole day
-worry on crammed full bus when you are CEV
-getting off bus because it is too full
-getting of bus because you are vomiting
-sitting on the pavement for 3-4 hours after chemo in the dark and rain, because you are CEV and don't want to get back on a crammed bus in the rush hour
-commuters swearing at you because you move too slowly
-commuter kicking you out of the way because you move to slowly, and doing it with an air of indignation, like they feel seriously injured by having to touch something so disgusting with their foot
-minimum 18 hour wait in A and E before being admitted with infection - once it was 28 hours
-further many hour wait in ER before being admitted to wards.
-spending night on chair in corridor, after being admitted to a ward
-being asked to vacate chair in corridor so doctor can perform ECG on patient who is currently standing up with nowhere to sit
-being warned by hospital staff to sleep in your glasses so they are not stolen
-having to buy a constant stream of new clothes, and having to go to charity shops - on steroids? go up two sizes, no chemo? go down 3- surgery? get front opening everything, in a range of sizes.
-not being able have a clean the house, wash up, open the window even, without calling a friend to come and help.
-council refusing to empty your bins because you are not capable of moving them to the right place at the right time
-giving away your pets because you can't take care of them, or afford them
-being told the waiting list to see a physiotherapist is around a year

I could go on

I am so grateful for the treatment I have had, and I hope the Princess of Wales does well and recovers, but the two situations are not the same, even slightly, even if the disease is.

No it’s yours which is offensive. She’s a relatively young woman with cancer.

@Shityshitybangbang you were "lucky". My mother was admitted by ambulance to A and E in excruciating pain. She was sent home with painkillers and referred for a CT scan. Her appointment came through for two months time. She died of bowel cancer before the appointment.

You poor thing. How enormously stressful. I didn’t have an actual blockage so we had a little more time. Thanks for sharing your story to help my unimaginative brain understand!

Yes there's extra issues for some and I'm not saying your life isn't harder op, but it's tough whatever your wealth and the press constantly pressing for news is not easy. Also cancer is a large number of different diseases essentially, so as we don't know the exact situation nor the original surgery nobody knows what it is like , let be generous and no top trumps for cancer, it's tough for all, perhaps different challenge s

@mitogoshi then the press need to stop playing Top Trumps with Catherine's cancer. It is offensive.

My first thought was that she gets 'house calls' and doesn't still have to clean the toilet.

MyQuaintDog · Today 18:32
sorry to hear that 🌺 xx

YourOldAirPurifier · Today 18:3
I hope your ok now, it’s a horrible, frightening thing to go through xx

All I can say is if I’d been through what the OP has I’d be pretty angry with the world. I recognise I’d be far more tired, tangy, angry and making comparisons. I wish you well x

Why are people less angry about the King? He's not managing Cancer whilst living in sheltered accomodation or lone caring for his elderly wife, he's not having to rely on buses and food banks either. Where's all the ire towards him not insisting he goes to the local NHS hospital and having his wages docked to sick pay levels?

Quite right; I’m finding the media coverage of Kate unsettling and odd; calling her great and brave when she composes a tweet or poses for a photo.
And William being a top husband for taking time out from his several duties to look after her. Wouldn’t every concerned partner want to do that ?

One thing I know is that cancer and serious illness in general can happen to anyone - rich, poor or in between.

I'm getting to the stage now where I wonder if all the preventative health advice actually achieves anything in the end. Seems to me that more and more younger people who are fit, slim and healthy are succumbing at an alarming rate no matter how healthy their lifestyles are.

As to the OP, what an horrific description she made. Wishing you well. And really, anyone who thinks that there is no difference in the treatment applied to Royals, and that applied to ordinary lesser mortals is deluded. For sure the symptoms may be the same, the prognosis may be the same and the treatment options the same.

However, I can't see CM sitting in a room full of armchairs having a drip put in in full view of everyone else in the room and enduring the Chemo Circle either. There are subtle differences, together with a lack of everyday stress and worry that doesn't and won't ever apply to the Royals.

Allison Pearson in The Telegraph
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2024/06/15/our-fair-lady-princess-of-wales-trooping-the-colour/

Kate may have it easier , but there's no point in comparing yourself to her , as there are thousands of us who have/have had cancer and are in the same position , but only one of her .

I had to get two buses there and back to the hospital every day for 25 sessions of radiotherapy but at least everyone in the waiting room was in the same boat and we always chatted to each other . I doubt if Kate has that option . She may have friends but that's not the same as talking to people who are going through the same thing .

I think the very least the royals could do is disclose what kind of cancer they have in order to raise awareness. But then they might havecto reveal something " shocking" like a colostomy bag, prostate, ovaries etc but it wouldmake them so much more relatable.
I know it's privacy but I had loafs of respect when that Radio 1 DJ Adele revealed she had a colostomy bag. Totally challenged the stigma.
However, it's great to see Kate looking so radiant despite her chemo. Bit of a risk if she is immuno compromised but I guess it depends on the chemo cycle.

I think she presented herself remarkably well for someone who has been off work sick for the last 6 months and is still undergoing treatment. It is often not the case for so many cancer patients and that struggle is very real and life changing in more ways than one. I just feel the optics of the balcony scene insinuates that all is well and it’s business as usual when it most likely isn’t and may not be for some time.

I understand the RFs stoicism when it comes to these matters but for those going through cancer treatment right now is it not placing an unreasonable expectation to spring back to normality, because Kate did?

Kate’s cancer experience will bear little, if any, resemblance to people who have no option than NHS.

Much of my cancer time was spent in endless waits, chaos, no support. I had brutal surgery and chemotherapy over a six month period and never had anyone to hold my hand. In fact I had not one hug or physical contact whatsoever. Plus revolting hospital food when you’re already crippled with nausea. Shifted around wards where time and again you hear doctors telling the patient next to you that there’s nothing more they can do. Only a curtain separating you. Disgusting hospital toilets overflowing with sanitary towels and shit.

It’s great that she seems to be getting better but I have never seen anyone on chemo look that well.

Sorry for many typos.
Loads* not loafs!

Let’s not play cancer bingo. You have no idea what she’s dealing with. She’s said she’s not out of the woods yet so presumably doesn’t yet know whether she’s going to be ok. She’s also having every expect of her life and treatment discussed at every turn by strangers on the internet.

If she ends up dying but didn’t have all the administrative and treatment related nightmares that you did does she score more or less points in your game of bingo.

I'm sorry for what you’re going through but without knowing the inner details of her situation you’ve no idea what she or any other cancer patient is going through.

The media coverage about Charles is not saying he is the bravest person ever.

No one should have to endure what op has had to contend with .
I don't have the answers but why has the NHS fell into such a state of chaos.

So sorry you went through all that. You deserved the royal treatment too. I hate the abhorrent inequality in this country and your post captured the day to day disadvantages of not having wealth in a heart breaking way. 💐

You're completely missing the point that this is prompted by stupid Allison Pearson simpering in the Telegraph about how wonderfully the Princess of Wales is coping compared with "lesser mortals". That sort of crass nonsense helps no-one.

Well, as the vast majority of people don't read the Telegraph, then if someone wants to start a thread because of what someone wrote in the Telegraph, if would have made sense to quote that, and made it clear what they were referring to. Even Link to it, or at the very least quote it and say what it is they are referring to.

That way, I'm fairly sure that a lot of people who have posted criticising the OP, might well have criticised the "journalist" and what she wrote.
As it is, most of us aren't psychic.

Well don’t worry, we will soon have a nice new government who will throw loads of money at the nhs etc. But be in no doubt that we will all be paying through the nose for it, making life even harder for those of us who are already struggling 🙄