Experiencing cancer is "life-changing" for both patients and their loved ones, the Princess of Wales said during a visit to a hospital in Essex. Kate, wearing a brown blazer and brown trousers, said the recovery journey from cancer is a "rollercoaster" as she discussed treatment and the importance of holistic cancer care with patients, volunteers and staff at Colchester Hospital's Wellbeing Centre on Wednesday.
The princess, who revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer in March last year, praised the centre's "holistic" approach to the support it offers patients, relatives and carers which includes counselling and dietary advice. She spoke candidly about the cancer experience whilst chatting to a group of the centre's users, volunteers and staff.
Recovery journey like "zig-zag"
"It's life changing for anyone, through first diagnosis or post-treatment and things like that, it is life changing experience both for the individual patient but also for the families as well and actually it sometimes goes unrecognised, you don't necessarily, particularly when it's the first time, you don't appreciate how much impact it is going to have," Kate said. She emphasised that people must "find your new normal and that takes time".
The princess described how someone had explained the healing process to her as being "like a sort of zig-zag". "It's a rollercoaster, it's not one smooth plain, which you expect it to be, but the reality is it's not, you go through hard times and to have a place like this, to have the support network, whether its through creativity and singing or gardening, whatever it might be, is so valuable and it's great that this community has it," she said.
Post-treatment expectations unrealistic
Kate highlighted the particular challenges faced after treatment ends. "There is this whole phase when you finish your treatment that you, yourself, everybody expects you, right you've finished your time, go, you're better, and that's not the case at all," she added.
She expressed hope that more communities could benefit from similar facilities. "It would be great if lots of communities had this kind of support," the princess said during her visit to the Essex hospital.
Princess plants commemorative roses
After visiting the centre, Kate braved the drizzly weather to plant several coral-pink Catherine's Rose plants in the hospital's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Wellbeing Garden. The RHS named the flower after Kate to raise awareness of the role that spending time outdoors plays in supporting people's mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing.
Foregoing gardening gloves which were offered to her, she knelt down to plant the roses using her bare hands and a trowel to pat down the soil alongside Adam Frost, the award-winning garden designer who led the design of the space. The wellbeing garden at the hospital opened in July last year and offers a relaxing and restorative space for NHS staff, patients and visitors.
(PA/London) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
