Palace ‘checking in daily’ on teenage cancer patient who shared emotional embrace with Princess Kate
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A teenage cancer patient given weeks to live is being checked on daily by Kensington Palace after she met the Prince and Princess of Wales last week, her mother has revealed.
Liz Hatton, who is fighting a rare and aggressive form of cancer, began a photography bucket list appeal after being diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumour at the start of this year.
Her list caught public attention and eventually led to the Prince and Princess of Wales inviting her to Windsor Castle, with a picture taken of her embracing Kate Middleton going viral on social media.
“The palace staff have been calling us every day to check we’re alright,” her mother, Vicky Robayna, told The Times.
“And I say ‘yes’. I’ve honestly never seen Liz as alive as she has been this week.”
The embrace between the princess and the 16-year-old, from Harrogate, was particularly poignant given Kate had recently completed her chemotherapy treatment following her own cancer diagnosis.
In a personal message on social media, William and Kate said: “A pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor today. A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both. Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us. W&C.”
Liz said she was “very thankful” to get the opportunity, describing it as a “mind-blowing, overwhelming experience”.
The teenager’s list came about when she was diagnosed with cancer in January. She wanted to go to Los Angeles to see her favourite photographer, but her health battle made it “impossible” to travel.
Due to the rarity of her disease, she was unable to obtain travel insurance.
Ms Robayna put her child’s wish list on X/Twitter, with her dreams also including photographing a show at a fashion week and a backstage ticket at a musical.
Earlier this year, Ms Robayna said Liz was given up to three years to live, but recently doctors have said that she now has “three to four weeks”, according to The Times.
“It is uncertain how long I have, how long I’ll live,” Liz told the outlet.
“But it is certain that it won’t be for a long time. And so because of that, I feel like the only thing you can do is do as much as possible, as much as possible of what you want to do and what you enjoy. And to spend it with the people you love.
“And yeah, well, what else can you do? Otherwise, you’d just sit there and be overwhelmed the whole time.”
Liz added: “And of course, there are those days where you are upset and it’s too much.
“Be positive, but… most of the time you’ve just got to lift yourself up and be lifted up by the people around you to carry on.”
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