During Friday’s episode of Good Morning Britain, host Kate Garraway provided comfort to a guest who opened up about their harrowing 17-month journey to a mesothelioma diagnosis. Alongside co-host Robert Rinder, Kate, aged 57, engaged in a poignant conversation with Emily-Jane during an ‘asbestos warning’ segment.
Emily-Jane, who began experiencing symptoms while pregnant, emphasised the need for awareness and action.
In the midst of the emotional interview, when asked by Kate how she was coping, Emily-Jane couldn’t hold back her tears, prompting Kate to reach out and hold her hand for support. “How are you now? ” Kate inquired, to which Emily-Jane responded: “Erm, mentally? It’s hard” before becoming overwhelmed with emotion.
Kate empathetically replied: “Oh, of course it’s hard!”
Emily-Jane went on to explain her efforts to stay optimistic, highlighting the role her young children play in maintaining her strength. “I’m just trying to stay as positive as possible and having young children helps. You just have to kind of get on with life, it’s having that diagnosis,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
She reflected on the constant burden of her condition, saying, “None of us know how long we’ve got? But being told you’ve got this and having that just there all the time is really… I just try my best to get on with things.”
At the conclusion of the interview, Robert expressed his gratitude to Emily-Jane for her courage in sharing her story, despite her nerves. He then prompted her to share a message with viewers regarding asbestos exposure and the hope she offered through her appearance: “Just help us, there will be viewers out there that will be a little bit worried but want to find out more. What’s your message to viewers about exposure to asbestos and also because you’ve helped viewers this morning with hope?”
Emily-Jane expressed her heartfelt sentiments, saying: “I don’t want anyone to go through what I did for those 17 months.”
She continued with a message of hope: “I don’t want anybody to even have this cancer but I also want the people who are diagnosed with this and their families to know that they’re not alone.”
Emphasising the availability of support and treatment options, she added: “There is so much support out there and also it’s not a death sentence as soon as you’re diagnosed. There are treatments, not one treatment will suit everybody but just please don’t give up on hope at all! ” Kate responded with warmth and encouragement: “I’m going to squeeze your hand, you’ve been amazing, it’s amazing, you will have helped so many people by what you said! Thank you.”
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