Nature my sanctuary during treatment: Princess
"Over the past year, nature has been my sanctuary," she said on the video released to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, a major campaign issue for the couple.
"The natural world's capacity to inspire us, to nurture us and help us heal and grow is boundless and has been understood for generations."
It was almost a year ago when Catherine, 43, made the dramatic announcement that she would undergo a course of chemotherapy after tests taken following major abdominal surgery in January last year revealed that an unspecified form of cancer had been present.
She completed the course of treatment in September, and said earlier this year she was now in remission.
Last month, Catherine and William visited a picturesque Scottish island to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary, with footage of that visit featuring in her video.
"Spring is a season of rebirth, of hope and new beginnings from the dark days of winter, the outside world quietly awakens with new life, and there comes a sense of optimism, anticipation and positive, hopeful change," she said.
"Just as nature revives and renews, so too can we. Let us reconnect nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts."
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NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Princess of Wales says nature her ‘sanctuary' amid cancer recovery
'Over the past year nature has been my sanctuary,' Catherine said in the video. This year's Mental Health Awareness Week, we are celebrating humanity's longstanding connection to nature, and its capacity to inspire us and help us to heal and grow in mind, body and spirit. As we confront the challenges of an increasingly complex and digital world,… — The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 12, 2025 Nature also enabled us to understand 'the importance of balance and the importance of renewal and resilience', she added, without making any direct reference to her own cancer recovery. Acclaiming spring as the season of 'rebirth of hope and new beginnings', Catherine added: 'Just as nature revives and renews, so too can we.' Catherine, 43, announced she had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer and was having chemotherapy in March 2024. The shock announcement came just weeks after officials revealed in February the same year that King Charles, 76, had also been diagnosed with cancer. The video and its focus on the power of nature to heal and nurture returns to the theme Catherine chose in September when she announced she had completed her chemotherapy. That video featured the future queen with William and their three children — George, 11, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, 7 — in woods and at a beach in eastern England near their country home after an 'incredibly tough' few months. Catherine, whose main work has focused on early years child development, has been making a gradual return to public life and revealed in January she is now in remission.
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Nature my sanctuary during treatment: Princess
"Over the past year, nature has been my sanctuary," she said on the video released to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, a major campaign issue for the couple. "The natural world's capacity to inspire us, to nurture us and help us heal and grow is boundless and has been understood for generations." It was almost a year ago when Catherine, 43, made the dramatic announcement that she would undergo a course of chemotherapy after tests taken following major abdominal surgery in January last year revealed that an unspecified form of cancer had been present. She completed the course of treatment in September, and said earlier this year she was now in remission. Last month, Catherine and William visited a picturesque Scottish island to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary, with footage of that visit featuring in her video. "Spring is a season of rebirth, of hope and new beginnings from the dark days of winter, the outside world quietly awakens with new life, and there comes a sense of optimism, anticipation and positive, hopeful change," she said. "Just as nature revives and renews, so too can we. Let us reconnect nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts."
NZ Herald
07-05-2025
- NZ Herald
On the Up: 100-year-old nurse recognised for trailblazing work in Northland
Now living in Sydney, Australia, with her daughter, she celebrated her 100th birthday over Easter Weekend. Among her gifts was one from Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora, and Davidson said it was wonderful to be remembered after all those years. As memories of the women she trained and nursed with came flooding back, it was bittersweet as Davidson is the only one left in her class. 'I met one of my very best friends on night duty and we stayed friends all our lives. She passed away in 1994 aged 94 ... It was a lovely, very special friendship.' After graduating at Whangārei Hospital, Davidson moved to Rawene Hospital to work under Dr George Marshall McCall Smith - a Scottish medical doctor who practised some unconventional cures. 'I tell everybody his remedy for everything was cod liver oil and vaseline. It was supposed to cure headaches, sore throats, even haemorrhoids.' For 34 years, Smith ran Rawene Hospital, campaigned for state funding of health and is remembered for creating a health service for the remote Hokianga area. One of Davidson's first nursing challenges was the 1948 polio epidemic, caused by the highly infectious poliovirus, which can lead to paralysis and even death. During this time, public health measures were used to control the spread of the virus, including closing schools and public places, and encouraging good hygiene practices. 'One of my cousins caught polio and she was, of course, disabled for life. Yeah, it was horrible, and now we have Covid,' Davidson said. The development and widespread use of the polio vaccine in the 1950s and 1960s eventually led to a dramatic decrease in polio cases worldwide. Davidson also received a personalised card from Hokianga Health to mark her 100th milestone. 'Here in the Hokianga, we are pleased to continue the great work that Dr Smith and nurses like you pioneered over 70 years ago,' it read. When asked if she had a message for today's nurses, Davidson was quick to point out she thought they earned their money, whereas she had her books, uniforms and board paid for by the hospital board. Davidson's 100th birthday was marked with a lunch and dinner with family members, including her son and his daughter from England. Family members also came from New Zealand, including her 98-year-old brother Doug and 85-year-old sister Shirley: the three remaining siblings left out of eight. Daughter Dianne Notton, who lives with Davidson in Sydney, said it was lovely to see everyone reunited. 'Mum's brother, Doug, and she are very close; they're just like two naughty kids when they get together,' she laughed. 'Mum received a card and letter from the King, but I think receiving a card from Whangārei and Rawene Hospitals, plus the beautiful Northland gift, has been the icing on the cake.' When asked how it feels to turn 100, Davidson noted it makes you very slow, and it takes twice as long to do anything.
