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.

It is in the national press today - I am a "lesser mortal". Kate is the one doing cancer best.

Completely untrue in the UK.

"just" getting a diagnosis and the first tests in the first place is a nightmare. It doesn't get better as you go.

The difference between having a trained medical team supporting you 24/24 and being a nobody is astonishing. I am not advocating every patient to have a dedicated nurse at home 24/24, that's not realistic, but let's be real about what being sick in the UK today actually means.

Less the time of fawning over Kate because she is wearing a pretty dress (just reading some of the ridiculous articles)

Agree there, the press are ridiculous as usual.

I am so sorry you are having to deal with this.

The author of the article is a vile cunt in my option. how the telegraph thought it was a good idea to publish this utterly disgusting piece of writing is beyond me.

The Welfare State is crumbling because of underfunding and a government who have brought back the Victorian idea of the deserving and undeserving poor. People who wasted billions buying PPE from their mates which wasn't fit for purpose.

Focusing on the Princess of Wales just lets them off the hook and means nothing will change.

Are you mad, of course she's having it's easier!

Yes it's the sycophantic press doing what they do best - shit stirring and pitting people against each other.
Which you seem to have fallen for.

Thanks for your kind post. Yes, I could have started a thread about cancer any day of the week, but the point is today, us cancer patients are being told we are "lesser mortals" and not cancering as well as the Princess of Wales is

OP, I'm sorry you're having it rough and pray you recover well. Kate, on the other hand, is undergoing "preventative" treatment for cancer. So, from what I understand, and I could be wrong, it's not the same as cancer treatment. That in itself would make both of you undergo totally different experiences of treatment.

However, even if she had stage 4 cancer and was a mere mortal like the rest of us, it is VERY unlikely that your experiences would be similar, because no one person is exactly the same as another.

Some mere mortals have no money worries but have no family to love them.

Others have no money but have great family support.

Others have neither money nor family support and are homeless.

The best thing is to focus on your treatment and hope for better days to come. Don't compare yourself to others, especially the royal family. Just like not comparing yourself to Facebook or Instagram pictures because that is never a true representation of someone's life. You are only seeing what they want you to see.

I get you OP - I wouldn’t wish cancer on anyone but there is world between the worries and treatment she will have /been facing .
. she’ll never have to worry about needing help .. or money and she will have had the best care money can buy . BUT
She’s still a young mum with children though and she’s still a human , probably anxious to get better for her children but no .. she won’t face hours in a corridor , public transport or hours on hold to DWP . Everyone’s experience of cancer is different and what ever her outcomes may be .. probably won’t change regardless of who she is or how wealthy she is ..
My understanding is her treatment is preventative meaning maybe early pre cancerous cells were detected .. so may not compare to yours or anyone else’s experience

my father died eight weeks ago .. and spent the last few days before he was discharged from hospital with pneumonia related to his lung cancer .. in a treatment room in a and e .. no beds available and Nothing to eat or drink for 12 hours .
They decided to send him home as they had no beds and virtually tipped him out of bed .. so frail he could barely stand .. and told him to sit in a chair for his discharge meds , despite the fact he was gasping for breath .
He collapsed and died five days later at home .. I feel so angry…. but at least .. he didn’t have to face anymore treatment or end of life care

If you just posted the hard time you have been experiencing I would have wholeheartedly supported you. However it is just plan nasty to bring a young woman with three children into it - has nothing to do with her and just makes you sound mean. Everyone's cancer experience is different, all are difficult. I just wake up every day, happy in the knowledge that the NHS saved my life. Bitterness will not help you at all.

Yeah it’s so weird how she gets treated like a princess…

Hi OP

Fair enough. It's how you feel right now, so very valid!!

Good luck with everything!!

I didn't "bring her into it"

journalists writing about her brought me into it. I am apparently a "lesser mortal"

I guess this is in response to the appalling Allison Pearson's tone deaf and vile Column suggesting "When lesser mortals would have stayed at home, Catherine proved that the show goes on"

I have struggled through 2 bouts of cancer, ovarian and breast and I am absolutely positive my experience was nothing like Catherine's

I also agree with this. Also the luxury of deciding if and when she will go 'back to work' and the time and money to recover with her family without a care in the world except her diagnosis (which i agree is awful but made a lot more manageable due to the reasons stated at the beginning of my post.
Also her husband seemingly being able to pick and choose when/if he 'works' too.
That pair are about as far removed from the ordinary people they try to portray themselves as as it is possible to be.
I am not a hypocrite - i would do the same. But to pretend her fight is as difficult as everywoman's is madness.

I absolutely hear you OP. Sorry you've had a shit time. X

I can only tell you my current experience.

I am post menopausal, reported some unexpected bleeding to my GPs surgery 2 weeks ago (reported as part of my prescription renewal for HRT). I was asked to go into the GPs the next day, they then referred me on the two week pathway, I was seen by the Consultant at the end of last week.
i need to have a biopsy, under a general.. I’ve already had (over the weekend), my MRSA swabs, and pre-op checks.
I’ll be in within the next week or so for me surgery.

I have no complaints at all .. currently. I have been seen in a timely manor, so waiting around, great staff & great facilities.

Thank goodness for the NHS

A poor person with cancer and a rich royal with cancer will still worry about their fate in the same way. Money doesn't stop the worry of someone's cancer outcome.

I hope you're well again soon Op

Op it's not a race to the bottom.

PoW treatment should be what the nhs gives, not the other way round.

I hope you recover soon and life improves.

Did you even read what some of the things are that a normal cancer patient has to go through on top of having to cop with being a parent?

OP is not being nasty. And cancer patients who are child free dont have a stress free time you know

I don't think many people realise it's this article which is where you are coming from

www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2024/06/15/our-fair-lady-princess-of-wales-trooping-the-colour/

It's vile but not unexpected from Alison Pearson

No one is bringing down anyone. Kate didn't write the article.

The coverage of the press about her on the other hand, is pathetic.

I am so sorry💐