A 38-year-old woman said she “knew something wasn’t right” but did not expect it to be cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery, just like Princess Kate. Maia Kennedy, 38, started feeling nauseous in December 2023 and was quickly called for an emergency colonoscopy.
Doctors then discovered a tumour in her colon which they thought was pre-cancerous. Maia, from Hackney, London, underwent surgery to remove part of her colon in a routine procedure in February – but was shocked to learn it had been cancerous.
As it was stage one, she didn’t need chemotherapy and is now in remission – but sees similarities between her experience and that of the Princess of Wales’. Maia, who is close in age to the 42 year old future Queen, said: “As a young healthy woman, you never think it will happen to you.”
“But it can happen to anyone – even royalty, with the best medical care in the world. 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.”
“When I heard about her surgery my thoughts went out to her – and it was a strange experience finding out my journey was similar to hers.”
“With everyone talking about her, it brings up a lot of thoughts of what I’ve been through too.” Maia first noticed nausea and a change in bowel habits in December 2023, which her GP initially attributed to acid reflux.
Later that month, they did some tests and she had to go for an urgent colonoscopy in January. That’s when they found a tumour. Maia shared: “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.”
They scheduled Maia for an operation in February to take out part of her colon, and she stayed in the hospital for a week.
The nature of Kate’s abdominal surgery has not been confirmed, nor has the type of cancer in which she is battling with Kensington Palace unlikely to confirm either of the two.
While she was getting better at home, she got a phone call. They told her the tumour they took out during the operation was actually cancerous. Luckily, because it was stage one bowel cancer, she didn’t need chemotherapy and now she’s all clear of cancer.
She explained: “It all happened so quickly from December to March. It’s taken over my life but its been such a short period of time. It’s very surreal to say I had cancer.”
Now, Maia is going to therapy to help her deal with everything that’s happened. She noticed that her story was a lot like Princess Kate’s cancer story and is fundraising for Cancer Research.
She remembered: “When I heard about her abdominal surgery, my thoughts went out to her. At the time they weren’t saying mine was cancer, just like they said hers wasn’t at first. I thought it sounds similar to me.”
Maia is also working on getting stronger with NHS physical rehab sessions. While she’s been through a tough time emotionally, she’s keen to tell others to watch out for the signs and remember it could happen to anyone.
She said: “It has been the most difficult thing I’ve had to go through. You need to be aware of the symptoms, because it can happen to anyone – even royalty. The sooner you catch it, the better.”
“As a young healthy woman, you never think it will happen to you. I never thought it would. When I heard about Catherine’s struggle, it really hit me hard and made me think about all the ‘what ifs’.”
“What if I had left it or hadn’t caught it, or had to have chemo like she did? I really feel for her and what she’s facing – it’s hard enough without everyone watching.”