Thank goodness for sharing your view.....maybe boring to some but I think it is incredibly helpful and all those crazees should read it before flying off the handle with all that anger they seem to have.
Found this so empathetic and necessary, Rosamund. I can imagine how my friends who've had breast cancer felt reading this. Thanks for jumping in early on your holiday on this one (and I'm finding an alternative to the WelleCo supplement that I clearly paid too much for anyway) xo
Ex cancer nurse here. Well written piece & breast cancer treatment is multimodal & really quite personalised.
Ms MacPherson has been disingenuous as your well written piece states. It would have been more educational & health promoting to actually say what she was offered & why.
Sadly, your piece won’t grab the headlines but is vastly more important than a supermodel who tells us what she didn’t do.
You're right - everyone's going off very limited info. Maybe more details are in the book. Which makes this all feel rather uncomfortably like book promo!
Thanks Rosamund, I was hoping you would write something in response and it’s balanced and insightful as always, both here and in The Times.
Personally, I would always stick to conventional medical advice and treatment but as more research is done that advice and treatment also changes. How I was treated now in 2024 is different to how it used to be, and thanks to research now very much based on my type of breast cancer, stage etc. Thankfully there have also been developments in reducing the side effects of chemo!
Many of those interested in this topic would know, there is active research undertaken at the moment to determine if chemo is required for certain types of breast cancers and stages: https://www.breastcancertrials.org.au/trials/optima/
I think it’s so important to be respect and balanced in discussing how people affected by breast cancer choose to respond to it. Breast cancer is complex, for example most of my friends as well as my husband (and probably a large part of the general population) didn’t even know there are different types of breast cancer.
Unfortunately very often the media pick out for the headline grabbing bits to sell papers and subscriptions without reporting on the complexity of the illness, the research and science but I think most of us will still take the advice our doctors and medical professionals.
I completely agree that every individual should be able to choose their own path/treatment without judgement. I downloaded Elle's memoir to my kindle and what horrified me (and made me cry) is her assertion that she 'manifested' cancer as a result of her emotional and spiritual state. I'm assuming this hasn't made headlines yet because most people are just going off the promotional article/interview rather than reading the book because the hard copy hasn't been released yet. When you own a hundred million dollar wellness business, suggesting that a lack of wellness can lead to you 'manifesting cancer' feels wrong. I'm very confident I didn't cause my stage 3 breast cancer, but if it makes even a few women feel like it's their fault, that is not okay.
That's so interesting - I haven't got hold of a copy of the book, so did not know this.
I have so many friends who've been through breast cancer now, I've heard a lot of different opinions on this, and some women feel strongly that their cancer was the result of a particularly difficult period of stress or grief.
I really don't know. I guess there is evidence to show that emotional distress can impact immunity, increasing the risk of lots of things, including cancer. But I don't think it's ever as simple as 'manifesting cancer'. Plenty of people have difficult and complicated emotional states and don't get cancer, after all!
I would hate to think that anyone would feel 'blamed' for their diagnosis because of her comments ❤️
I started reading this already composing my response, about how stupid a woman Elle McPherson is, so thank you for explaining what actual common sense there may have been in the background. However, as you say she lives in a different world and has time and resources to think about what approach to take. Even when the NHS works at it's best, I don't think it is able to offer people a wide spectrum discussion/ assessment of the options, and for most patients it seems to be more 'so this is what's wrong with you, we'll do this, ok?' It was really good to hear a measured perspective though, quite took the wind out of my sails - in a good way!
And you're so right - I was treated on the NHS and know people who were treated privately, who had extra drugs that weren't available to me, as well things like psychosexual therapy and even reflexology (also much better hospital food!). Having said that, I know someone who was treated on the NHS who chose not to have adjuvant chemo after extensive discussions with her oncologist and surgeon, so it can happen. I think that was at the Marsden though, which seems to be a step ahead in terms of breast cancer.
The difference between NHS and private is sad to hear about. The Marsden has long been a specialist cancer hospital (my first job out of uni, decades ago!) and does lead the way I think. I hope you are well recovered. x
While it’s true that not all breast cancers need to be treated with chemotherapy most (all us little people) have to consider how to pay for all this. If you have insurance, they will probably not pay for you to hang in the desert in Arizona consulting all sorts of various ‘experts’. My husband had 6 weeks of radiation at $12,000 a treatment according to my insurance statements. I’m sure they would not have shelled out that kind of money for him to consult a holistic dentist
You're absolutely right, and this is a really good point about the US system, where it seems there's so much health inequality.
Here in the UK, although the NHS is amazing, it's certainly not perfect, and care can differ wildly across different health trusts. But at least no one has to worry about not being able to afford treatment (unless they need one of the newer drugs, which are often available in a private setting long before being licensed on the NHS).
Certainly a very strong case for not going entirely off the headlines! Thanks for the measured piece, Rosamund. Sadly, I do think a lot of people will be influenced by her decisions (and by the headlines)... x
You could be right, especially since going through treatment is such a vulnerable time in people's lives, and there's so much misleading and conflicting information out there, it's incredible stressful not being sure if you're doing the right thing for your own health xx
Thank goodness for sharing your view.....maybe boring to some but I think it is incredibly helpful and all those crazees should read it before flying off the handle with all that anger they seem to have.
Found this so empathetic and necessary, Rosamund. I can imagine how my friends who've had breast cancer felt reading this. Thanks for jumping in early on your holiday on this one (and I'm finding an alternative to the WelleCo supplement that I clearly paid too much for anyway) xo
Such a balanced and insightful feature, Rosamund.
Ex cancer nurse here. Well written piece & breast cancer treatment is multimodal & really quite personalised.
Ms MacPherson has been disingenuous as your well written piece states. It would have been more educational & health promoting to actually say what she was offered & why.
Sadly, your piece won’t grab the headlines but is vastly more important than a supermodel who tells us what she didn’t do.
You're right - everyone's going off very limited info. Maybe more details are in the book. Which makes this all feel rather uncomfortably like book promo!
Such a good and measured piece xx
Ahhh thank you! xx
Excellent article! Thank you.
Thanks Rosamund, I was hoping you would write something in response and it’s balanced and insightful as always, both here and in The Times.
Personally, I would always stick to conventional medical advice and treatment but as more research is done that advice and treatment also changes. How I was treated now in 2024 is different to how it used to be, and thanks to research now very much based on my type of breast cancer, stage etc. Thankfully there have also been developments in reducing the side effects of chemo!
Many of those interested in this topic would know, there is active research undertaken at the moment to determine if chemo is required for certain types of breast cancers and stages: https://www.breastcancertrials.org.au/trials/optima/
I think it’s so important to be respect and balanced in discussing how people affected by breast cancer choose to respond to it. Breast cancer is complex, for example most of my friends as well as my husband (and probably a large part of the general population) didn’t even know there are different types of breast cancer.
Unfortunately very often the media pick out for the headline grabbing bits to sell papers and subscriptions without reporting on the complexity of the illness, the research and science but I think most of us will still take the advice our doctors and medical professionals.
This is so interesting, thanks so much for sharing
I completely agree that every individual should be able to choose their own path/treatment without judgement. I downloaded Elle's memoir to my kindle and what horrified me (and made me cry) is her assertion that she 'manifested' cancer as a result of her emotional and spiritual state. I'm assuming this hasn't made headlines yet because most people are just going off the promotional article/interview rather than reading the book because the hard copy hasn't been released yet. When you own a hundred million dollar wellness business, suggesting that a lack of wellness can lead to you 'manifesting cancer' feels wrong. I'm very confident I didn't cause my stage 3 breast cancer, but if it makes even a few women feel like it's their fault, that is not okay.
That's so interesting - I haven't got hold of a copy of the book, so did not know this.
I have so many friends who've been through breast cancer now, I've heard a lot of different opinions on this, and some women feel strongly that their cancer was the result of a particularly difficult period of stress or grief.
I really don't know. I guess there is evidence to show that emotional distress can impact immunity, increasing the risk of lots of things, including cancer. But I don't think it's ever as simple as 'manifesting cancer'. Plenty of people have difficult and complicated emotional states and don't get cancer, after all!
I would hate to think that anyone would feel 'blamed' for their diagnosis because of her comments ❤️
Me too! https://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/i-never-blamed-myself-for-having-breast-cancer-until-i-read-elle-macpherson-s-book-20240905-p5k87w.html
I started reading this already composing my response, about how stupid a woman Elle McPherson is, so thank you for explaining what actual common sense there may have been in the background. However, as you say she lives in a different world and has time and resources to think about what approach to take. Even when the NHS works at it's best, I don't think it is able to offer people a wide spectrum discussion/ assessment of the options, and for most patients it seems to be more 'so this is what's wrong with you, we'll do this, ok?' It was really good to hear a measured perspective though, quite took the wind out of my sails - in a good way!
What a nice comment, thank you!
And you're so right - I was treated on the NHS and know people who were treated privately, who had extra drugs that weren't available to me, as well things like psychosexual therapy and even reflexology (also much better hospital food!). Having said that, I know someone who was treated on the NHS who chose not to have adjuvant chemo after extensive discussions with her oncologist and surgeon, so it can happen. I think that was at the Marsden though, which seems to be a step ahead in terms of breast cancer.
The difference between NHS and private is sad to hear about. The Marsden has long been a specialist cancer hospital (my first job out of uni, decades ago!) and does lead the way I think. I hope you are well recovered. x
While it’s true that not all breast cancers need to be treated with chemotherapy most (all us little people) have to consider how to pay for all this. If you have insurance, they will probably not pay for you to hang in the desert in Arizona consulting all sorts of various ‘experts’. My husband had 6 weeks of radiation at $12,000 a treatment according to my insurance statements. I’m sure they would not have shelled out that kind of money for him to consult a holistic dentist
You're absolutely right, and this is a really good point about the US system, where it seems there's so much health inequality.
Here in the UK, although the NHS is amazing, it's certainly not perfect, and care can differ wildly across different health trusts. But at least no one has to worry about not being able to afford treatment (unless they need one of the newer drugs, which are often available in a private setting long before being licensed on the NHS).
Certainly a very strong case for not going entirely off the headlines! Thanks for the measured piece, Rosamund. Sadly, I do think a lot of people will be influenced by her decisions (and by the headlines)... x
You could be right, especially since going through treatment is such a vulnerable time in people's lives, and there's so much misleading and conflicting information out there, it's incredible stressful not being sure if you're doing the right thing for your own health xx