“Again” the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, “has given strong messages of hope, very human, of light at the end of the tunnel, which is what all cancer patients and those with other serious illnesses desire. And she has actually managed to touch on all the issues that have been and still are too often taboo. First of all, she called the disease by its name: she calls it cancer, she doesn’t mince words. And then she emphasized the importance of the family, of the partner, of those close to the cancer patient. You don’t win alone, but also thanks to the help and sharing of those who love us and are close to us. And she reiterated that it is a long and difficult journey, but that it can be overcome”. This is the reflection of Elisabetta Iannelli, general secretary of the Italian Federation of Volunteer Associations in Oncology (Favo).
Commenting on Princess Catherine’s latest message to Adnkronos Salute, he explains how words – when talking about cancer – have weight, especially when they are pronounced by a person so exposed that they reach every corner of the world, as in the case of the British royals. “There is a lot of attention towards her, so each of her statements has a huge impact and echo, which does not stop at the borders of Great Britain. And it is not easy for anyone, especially for a person who is exposed to the media, to talk about their own fragilities, their fears, their difficulties, reality, told with great simplicity” as Kate did, according to Iannelli, “bringing attention back to what are the essential values of life. How many people who have faced cancer say, after the diagnosis, that they have been able to appreciate life more, the simple things, the most important things, the essential values? She is one of us”.
Iannelli perceives a closeness. “The concept is that when faced with illness we are all fundamentally the same – she reflects – Someone, I am sure, will say that a better social, economic or rank condition can give greater possibilities of treatment and therefore also of recovery. But we also have many examples of people who have not made it despite these better economic availability, knowledge, benefits on paper”. The way in which Kate is communicating her illness convinces the general secretary of Favo: “These are interventions rationed, corresponding to the most important junctures of her journey – she analyses – And communication made in these moments is much more effective: I have had the diagnosis, I am undergoing the therapies, I have finished but the journey is still long, because I have to recover, because we know that in the first months there is still a risk perhaps even greater of progression, of relapse”.
In this, the princess’s message also touches on the theme of the fear of a return of the disease. “And obviously the first thought will be for the children, together with her husband. In short, the essence of important things”, highlights Iannelli. “The message is: appreciate life and carpe diem, live each day as it comes. Even with the firm will and intention to return as soon as possible, compatibly with the available strength, to the commitments of one’s daily life. Which, transposed into the existence of a ‘normal’ person”, a ‘commoner’, “means returning to work. In common there is the desire to have one’s ‘normality’ back, therefore also one’s job”.
“Of course – he points out – it is not always so obvious and certain, because the difficulties in the real world are many. And even more so we should take note of this aspect that unites all people with the disease, and act accordingly, in terms of protecting work as a point that completes the path of treatment, rehabilitation and return to full life”. The fact that this message comes from a prominent person like Kate, concludes Iannelli, “can give a contribution that makes us take a leap forward also in overcoming the stigma that still too often afflicts many cancer patients, who do not say they have cancer because they are afraid of being sidelined”.
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