Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie joined in a Zoom call to discuss the challenges young people living with cancer are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re just interested, I guess, to know how COVID has affected your treatment or how you’ve been feeling with the pandemic,” Princess Eugenie asks the group.
“It’s completely different. It’s affected pretty much everything,” one person tells her. “I’ve had treatment pushed back, because I’m going to be receiving a stem cell transplant.”
Another person tells the sisters that his treatment started in October, before lockdown, and that it’s been difficult to shield because he has to come into the hospital for his treatments.
“At Teenage Cancer Trust, you’re doing so much to bring people together but, you know, it must’ve been quite a challenge,” Princess Beatrice says to representatives from the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
A lead nurse, Dave, and a youth support coordinator, Steve, were also a part of the Zoom call. Steve revealed that his workload was transferred to a digital platform to support the young people in the Trust, which includes online tuition and other lessons and fun and games.
The young people on the call included Callum Marsh, Jack Fielding, Caitlin Wilde, Kathryn Rodwell, and Darcy Shaw.
The York princesses are honorary patrons of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Their mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, opened the Trust’s first facility in 1990.
“We’ve grown up with Teenage Cancer Trust, we’ve been part of this family our entire lives,” Princess Beatrice said.
“It was so amazing to speak with these young people and some of the incredible team who are supporting them through this crisis. They have been through so much already, and as we start to come out of lockdown, many young people will remain in very difficult situations, often separated from friends and family, at home or in hospital.”
Princess Beatrice continued, “We must not forget about them, and charities like Teenage Cancer Trust, who are working so hard to help them cope.”
