Having been a journalist for almost twenty years, I’ve developed one thing of an immunity to breaking tough information tales, however reporting on the Princess of Wales’s latest most cancers analysis floored me. I’m not ashamed to say that once I heard the information, simply moments earlier than occurring air, I shed a tear. Here was a younger lady, match and in her prime, dealing with each mom’s worst nightmare. My empathy for what Princess Catherine and her household had been going by ran deep, as a result of virtually a yr to the day earlier than her announcement, I used to be identified with most cancers.
Like the princess, I used to be in my 40s and a busy mum juggling house life, younger youngsters, and a demanding profession. I used to be additionally tremendous match, ate a wholesome balanced food plan, and didn’t drink a lot alcohol. But on Valentine’s Day 2023, I used to be identified with cholangiocarcinoma, a comparatively uncommon however aggressive type of liver most cancers, also referred to as bile duct most cancers. The day I took that decision was the day my life modified perpetually.
I had gone to my GP simply earlier than Christmas 2022 after affected by delicate coronary heart palpitations and indigestion. I’d put the delicate signs right down to stress because it had been a busy yr. I’d written two books, cohosted Dynasty, the Vanity Fair podcast, and reported on the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. Following the check-up, my blood work got here again as regular, and my GP thought I may be on the point of a burnout and suggested me to take a while off work. Because of my coronary heart palpitations and a way that one thing was not proper, I pushed for a scan, and my physician agreed to ship me to a heart specialist to rule out any underlying coronary heart circumstances. A CT and an electrocardiogram each got here again regular. However, throughout an additional scan of my aorta, the radiologist found a suspicious lesion on my liver. An additional MRI revealed {that a} tumor the scale of my palm was rising inside my liver.
Recovering at The Royal Free Hospital in London after 11 hours of lifesaving surgical procedure in 2023.Courtesy of Katie Nicholl.
The two-week look forward to the outcomes was horrific. I felt sick to my abdomen and will barely eat, one million ideas whirring round my head. Being advised I had most cancers was my worst nightmare. How might I be in poor health once I felt so effectively? Was it curable? Would I would like chemo? How was I going to inform my youngsters—Matilda, then 11, and George, simply 6? They had been nonetheless so younger, and I used to be too. I promised myself that I might be there to see them develop up. At the Royal Free Hospital in London the following day, I met with Dr. Dora Pissanou, one of many nation’s main liver surgeons, who focuses on cholangiocarcinoma. I’d been suggested to not Google the situation as a result of each case is exclusive. But in fact, I had, and what I’d learn terrified me. The five-year survival fee for cholangiocarcinoma that hasn’t unfold exterior of the bile ducts ranges from 18 to 23%. That fee drops to 2 to three% for most cancers that has unfold past the bile ducts.
It’s referred to as “the silent killer” as a result of the signs are obscure and sometimes dismissed as IBS. Other signs comparable to itching, weight reduction, chest ache, and jaundice usually solely current when the tumor is superior. While there are some therapies for sure gene mutations, the one remedy is surgical procedure. Mercifully, my tumor was operable, and a PET scan confirmed the most cancers had not unfold.
I keep in mind my surgeon wanting me within the eye and telling me this is able to be a battle, however that I used to be going to be her champion, and from that second on, we grew to become a crew. In the times main as much as my surgical procedure, I prepped my youngsters’s favourite meals and froze them, organized playdates, and frantically wrote the ultimate chapter of my newest e-book, The New Royals. I despatched it to my editor simply earlier than I used to be admitted to the hospital. The evening earlier than I went in for surgical procedure, I hugged my son and daughter further tight and promised them I might be house quickly. I made a decision to not inform them I had most cancers at that time; it was simply an excessive amount of for them to tackle.