A cancer-stricken woman has told how her cancer was discovered during abdominal surgery – just like Kate Middleton.
Maia Kennedy, 38, from Hackney, London, started experiencing nausea in December 2023, but her GP initially dismissed her symptoms as being due to acid reflux.
She was eventually called in for an emergency test, where doctors found a tumor in her intestine during her colonoscopy.
At the time it was thought to be a pre-cancerous condition.
Mrs Kennedy was then given the devastating news that it was stage one cancer, after undergoing routine surgery to remove part of her bowel in February 2024.
Maia Kennedy, 38, started experiencing nausea in December 2023 and was called for an emergency colonoscopy
In December 2023, Mrs Kennedy (pictured in hospital) started experiencing nausea and a change in bowel habits, both of which were dismissed by her GP as acid reflux. It wasn’t until doctors ran some tests that she was called in for an emergency colonoscopy in January, during which they discovered a tumor.
Because it was caught early, she did not need chemotherapy and is now in remission.
However, she sees parallels between her own experience and that of the Princess of Wales, who announced her own battle with cancer last week.
In an emotional video clip recorded in Windsor, Kate, 42, revealed that the news had come as a ‘huge shock’ and that she and William have ‘done everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family’ .
Mrs Kennedy, who is close in age to Kate, said: ‘As a young, healthy woman you never think this 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 difficult time, let alone when you’re in the public eye.
“When I heard about her surgery, my thoughts went out to her.”
She added: “It was a strange experience to discover that my journey was similar to hers.
‘Now that everyone is talking about her, a lot of thoughts about what I went through also come up.’
In December 2023, Ms Kennedy began experiencing nausea and a change in bowel habits, both of which were dismissed by her GP as acid reflux.
It wasn’t until doctors ran some tests that she was called in for a colonoscopy in January, where they found the tumor.
Mrs Kennedy said: ‘I knew something was wrong but you don’t go into it and expect them to find something like that – it was a huge shock to me.’
Originally, specialists thought her tumor was not cancerous, just as they had thought Kate had at the time of her major abdominal surgery in January.
Mrs Kennedy spent a week in hospital after her operation to remove part of her intestines in February.
Weeks later, while still recovering, she received a phone call informing her that a biopsy of the tumor confirmed that it was indeed cancer.
Because the biopsy showed it was stage one colon cancer, she did not need chemo.
She said: ‘It all happened so quickly from December to March.
‘It took over my life, but it was such a short period of time. It’s very surreal to say I have cancer.’
In a video message on Friday, Kate revealed that the diagnosis ‘came as a huge shock’ but that she was now in the ‘early phase’ of preventive chemotherapy treatment.
Ms Kennedy is still struggling emotionally with her diagnosis and wants to warn others to be aware of the symptoms
Bowel cancer, one of the most common cancers in Britain, is also called colorectal cancer.
Tumors can be found anywhere in the intestine or rectum.
Around 43,000 Britons are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year, says Cancer Research UK.
Telltale symptoms include bleeding from your buttocks, bloating, losing weight without trying, abdominal pain, and changes in poop, such as softer poop, diarrhea, or constipation that is not usual for you.
The Princess of Wales was admitted to a London hospital in January for a planned operation and returned to Windsor to continue her recovery.
However, doctors discovered an unspecified form of cancer in tests taken after her surgery.
In a video message on Friday, Kate revealed that the diagnosis ‘came as a huge shock’ but that she was now in the ‘early phase’ of preventive chemotherapy treatment.
Ms Kennedy admitted that learning about the Princess’s cancer journey revealed many parallels to her own.
She said: ‘When I heard about her abdominal surgery my thoughts went out to her.
‘I thought it looked like me.
“At the time they didn’t say mine was cancer, just like they first said hers wasn’t.”
She is now undergoing NHS physical rehabilitation sessions to rebuild her strength.
But Ms Kennedy is still struggling emotionally with her diagnosis and wants to warn others to look out for the symptoms.
‘As a young, healthy woman you never think it will happen to you. “I never thought it would be like this,” she said.
‘Hearing Catherine’s story made my emotions go up and down – it brought out the ‘what if’ feelings.
‘What if I had left it alone or not contracted it, or had to get chemotherapy like they did?
“I have a lot of empathy for her and what she’s going through – it’s a difficult time, let alone doing it while I’m in the public eye,” she added.
‘It’s the hardest 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 notice it, the better.’