Recovering from major abdominal surgery — as Kate has been since January — is ghastly, and having to do it so you can be healthy enough for chemotherapy is a humbling one-two punch from the universe.
We know that rates of colon cancer diagnoses in particular are going up alarmingly in younger populations.
I was 45 when I received my diagnosis of stage 3 colon cancer, and, like Kate, underwent major abdominal surgery followed by chemo.
As a survivor of a gastrointestinal cancer, whose sufferers face much greater stigma than other types of cancer, I feel this most acutely.
Depending on the nature of her abdominal surgery, Kate might have been assigned a short-term or a permanent colostomy bag.
Persons:
Sara Stewart, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate, that’s, Sara Stewart Todd Thompson Kate, chemo, uptick, I’ve, Debbie Downer, she’ll, it’s, you’re
Organizations:
CNN
Locations:
Pennsylvania