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ROSAMUND DEAN

My young family and cancer: how we got through it

Kate’s concern for her children felt all too familiar to Rosamund Dean, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 when her son and daughter were six and four
Rosamund Dean
The Sunday Times
Rosamund Dean: “If we had tried to keep it from them, they would have filled in the blanks themselves, perhaps imagining a scenario even worse than the reality.”
Rosamund Dean: “If we had tried to keep it from them, they would have filled in the blanks themselves, perhaps imagining a scenario even worse than the reality.”
VICTORIA ADAMSON FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE
Rosamund Dean
The Sunday Times

One line from the statement by the Princess of Wales about her diagnosis really struck a chord with me.

“It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them,” she said, “and to reassure them that I am going to be OK.”

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, when I was 40, the first thing I asked the doctor was: “Can I reassure my kids that I’m not going to die?”

Luckily, like Kate, my cancer was caught in time for treatment to be curative. So my husband, Jonathan, and I were able to explain to our children, Ezra and Eden, what was going to happen (in my case chemotherapy,