Kate Middleton and beyond: because those who share their experience with cancer perform an act of care towards others

The cancer announcement of Catherine Middleton resonated with a particular echo amid the chaos of theories and rumors that arose around the princess's life. The video – which, it must be said, comes after a series of ill-considered communications from the Royal Household – joins the ranks of well-known people who have chosen to speak openly about their illness. As a community we are learning to develop multiple stories on the same dynamic: there are those who do the same Giovanni Allevi uses the terms “fight” and “war” against the invader, while those who describe it instead as an opportunity to be potentially transformed into a gift, as did Nadia Toffa. Who refers to luck and bad luck, and who talks about acceptance of the course of nature. There are those who, how Emma Boninosaid «I am not my cancer», and who on the contrary, how Michela Murgia, explained that «Cancer is not something I have; it's something that I am.” Second Pau Donès, former leader of the Jarabe de Palo, «The illness taught me nothing. Life itself teaches you”, and there are those who claim the idea of ​​illness as a teacher of life. There are many ways to live and live with the harmful effects of cancer. In a society that denies ageing, illness and death – and in doing so loses its roots in life – giving shape to the relationship with illness is a fundamental act.

Everyone chooses a story with which to tell themselves and tell, and the normalization of cancer practiced by numerous well-known figures is stripping it of the taboo that surrounds it, supporting those who are facing the same situation in silence. Sharing becomes an act of care towards others that aims to build a more informed and compassionate community, as well as testimony to the strength that can emerge from vulnerability.
It must be said that the choice to maintain privacy about one's health is equally respectable, and no one, famous or not, should feel obliged to publicly expose their experiences. For some, the relationship with cancer is an intimate journey, to be traveled far from the public eye: each person must have the right to choose how to navigate their health journey and build their own narrative.

Catherine Middleton's announcement is not just news; it is a reminder of our shared vulnerability. As we continue to navigate the turbulent waters of life which is now more than liquid gaseous, and we live and plunder the world as if we were eternal, the stories of those who choose to openly face cancer can act as a beacon, illuminating the path towards a society more open to the fragility of existence. The relationship with the disease, whether shared or private, can return us to our ephemeral and fragile condition as living and, therefore, dying human beings.

Because there is no shame in illness, and there is no weakness in talking about it.