Having a terminal illness will make you rethink a lot of things. What seemed like it mattered, it doesn’t matter anymore. What you may have neglected, is suddenly front and center. Being sick will change you.
It has definitely changed King Charles.
Last year, the monarch was diagnosed with cancer. We don’t know what type of cancer or the stage of cancer. We do know that he’s been undergoing treatment. The monarch has brought attention to the fight for cancer awareness and research.
Recently, at a Buckingham Palace event to raise cancer awareness, King Charles spoke about what cancer has taught him.
“It has certainly given me an even deeper appreciation of the extraordinary work undertaken by the remarkable organizations and individuals gathered here this evening, many of whom I have known, visited and supported over the years,” he said via NBC News. “And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits — that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion.”
King Charles also spoke about the health care professionals that provide cancer treatment, saying, “they have my whole family’s deepest admiration and gratitude” and the care that they have given, “represents the very best our country can offer.”
“What strikes us repeatedly is the profound impact of human connection — whether in the careful explanation from a specialist nurse, the hand held by a hospice volunteer or the shared experience in a support group,” he continued. “These moments of kinship create what I might call a ‘community of care,’ one that sustains patients through the most difficult of times.”
We love that he was giving the health care workers their flowers. Health care workers and their understanding make patients feel seen and less alone.
Health care professionals are heroes.
