Kate Middleton’s cancer nightmare has been the reality for another Londoner.
What happened to the 42-year-old Princess of Wales “can happen to anyone,” a cancer patient from Hackney has warned.
“Even royalty, with the best medical care in the world,” Maia Kennedy, 38, told South West News Service. “As a young healthy woman, you never think it will happen to you.”
In December 2023, Kennedy reported unusual nausea and changing bowel habits to her doctors, who initially assumed they were symptoms of worsening acid reflux. However, routine health screenings later indicated an emergency colonoscopy was needed. That’s when they found a mass — what biopsies would later determine to be a pre-cancerous tumor in her colon.
“I have a lot of empathy for what Kate is going through, it’s a tough time — never mind when you’re in the public eye,” Kennedy said. “With everyone talking about her, it brings up a lot of thoughts of what I’ve been through too.”
The Princess’ “planned abdominal surgery,” it’s been widely reported, was also intended to remove a mysterious lump from her lower body — which royal physicians later discovered was indeed cancerous.
In February 2024, she had part of her colon removed, and spent a week in the hospital convalescing — but had to wait several more weeks before getting the call with results of her cancer diagnosis.
The mass excised from Kennedy’s abdomen indicated stage one cancer. She was able to bypass moving on to chemotherapy and is now in remission.
“I knew something wasn’t right, but you don’t go into it expecting them to find something like that — it was a huge shock for me,” she said.
“It’s very surreal to say I had cancer.”
Kennedy is currently in physical rehab to regain her strength after surgery and said she’s now seeking therapy to process the whirlwind trauma. “It’s taken over my life but it’s been such a short period of time.”
She hopes her story will urge others to advocate for their body.
“Hearing of Catherine’s story, my emotions were up and down — it brings up the ‘what if’ feelings: What if I had left it or hadn’t caught it, or had to have chemo like she did?”
“You need to be aware of the symptoms,” Kennedy added, “because it can happen to anyone — even royalty.”
