Maia Kennedy, 38, was told she had cancer following an abdominal operation and says she can understand how the Princess of Wales feels as a ‘young, healthy woman’
A woman who was told she had cancer while recovering from abdominal surgery says she understand’s how Kate, Princess of Wales, must feel.
Maia Kennedy, 38, had abdominal surgery in February to remove a mass that was not originally believed to be cancerous – but to her shock, subsequent tests revealed that it was. Following a difficult and whirlwind few months, Maia has been told that she is cancer-free.
Maia said she understands as a ‘young, healthy woman’ how life-shattering the news can be and empathises with Princess Kate, who announced on Friday that tests confirmed cancer following her abdominal surgery in January. Before the operation, Kate said doctors did not believe her condition to be cancerous.
The Princess of Wales, 42, has not specified what type of cancer she has and Kensington Palace has said they will ‘not be sharing any further private medical information’ as Kate focuses on ‘making a full recovery’.
Sharing her well-wishes for Kate, Maia said: “As a young healthy woman, you never think it will happen to you. I never thought it would. But it can happen to anyone.” She added: “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.”
In December 2023, Maia began suffering from nausea and a change of bowel habits, which her GP first put down to acid reflux. But further tests revealed she had a tumour in her colon and, as part of the routine procedure, had surgery to remove the mass in February 2024. Specialists originally thought Maia’s tumour was non-cancerous.
But a few weeks after the op, a biopsy of the tumour showed it had been cancerous. Maia was told it was stage one bowel cancer and didn’t need any chemotherapy. She is now in remission. Maia said: “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 continued: “It all happened so quickly from December to March. It’s taken over my life but it’s been such a short period of time. It’s very surreal to say I had cancer.” Maia is seeking therapy to help her process the traumas she experienced and is going through NHS physical rehabilitation sessions to build her strength back up.
“It has been the most difficult thing I’ve had to go through,” Maia said, adding: “When I heard about [Kate’s] abdominal surgery, my thoughts went out to her.” Drawing a parallel between Kate’s post-op diagnosis and her own, Maia said: “At the time, they weren’t saying mine was cancer, just like they said hers wasn’t at first.”
In Kate’s official statement on Friday, the princess asked for “time, space and privacy” while she completes her treatment. She added: “At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.”
Maia is passionate about raising awareness of the early signs of cancer because “the sooner you catch it, the better”. She has warned people to look out for symptoms of bowel cancer, which she personally experienced. According to Bowel Cancer UK, early signs include a change of bowel habits, bleeding from your bottom and pain in your abdomen.
You can donate towards Maia’s Cancer Research fundraiser online.
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