The threat of contracting COVID-19 is a worry for all of us but when you are undergoing treatment for cancer, the prospect of testing positive is a frightening thought. When BBC Newsreader George Alagiah released the news that he had beaten coronavirus whilst undergoing treatment for bowel cancer, it gave a lot of people hope that should they contract the virus, they too stand a chance of pulling through.
Sometimes it is easy to get taken away by the tide of negativity, especially when the press are so keen to publish the next sensational headline. When you are fighting a behemoth such as cancer, these headlines can not only be a distraction, they can be a cause for stress at an already stressful time. As George Alagiah mentioned during his interview last night, he was lucky to have experienced mild symptoms – some of us won’t be quite this fortunate, but where there is hope, a light shines for us all.