Dr Philippa Kaye, the resident GP on ITV’s This Morning, has spoken about her experience of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of 39, and how the pandemic added to the challenges of treatment.
Kaye, who had major surgery and chemotherapy after her diagnosis in May 2019, said that her medical training could not prepare her for the realities of living with cancer. In January 2020, further lesions were found in her abdomen, and when the pandemic hit, she was awaiting decisions on the next course of action.
She described how the pandemic changed medical appointments from face-to-face to online or telephone, meaning that the world of cancer invaded the safety of her home. Previously, she had preferred to attend appointments alone, giving herself time to process the information before returning to her family. Now, there was no separation, and the demands of being a mother were immediate.
Kaye noted that one of the hardest parts of having cancer is dealing with uncertainty, waiting for scan results and not knowing what the future holds. She said the pandemic has given everyone an insight into living with cancer, as people learn to live in the present.
She had two surgeries in 2020, one in May and another in September, and was anxious about staying alone in hospital and returning home to home-schooling during lockdown.
