Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw, best known for playing Maxine Peacock on the ITV soap from 1995 to 2003, was brought to tears during a recent hospital visit. The 52-year-old, who revealed her breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year, shared an emotional update from her hospital bed on Instagram.
Emotional A&E Visit
Shaw explained that she had suffered from dangerously high temperatures and delayed seeking help due to the hot weather. She said: "So I'm in A&E, I had really really high temperatures yesterday and they spiked several times. I didn't want to go to A&E in the hot weather so my body has suffered today. As a consequence, I came in to A&E early this morning and I just want to say thank you to the NHS and everyone in the A&E department."
She acknowledged the difficulty of visiting the hospital while undergoing cancer treatment, noting the presence of patients with seemingly minor complaints. "It isn't easy coming in when we have cancer because there are a lot of people with - I'm not disregarding it - minor things, and some have just drank too much. It's really hard at this point when my immune [system] is so low to get through that part of the department without catching anything else," she added.
Gratitude and Frustration
Shaw wiped away tears as she expressed gratitude to NHS staff for securing a private room, but also voiced frustration over a broken air conditioning unit during a heatwave and workmen who entered without wearing masks. She said: "Anyway, thank you to the NHS and all the staff. They've been amazing, and they have been able to put me in a separate room for now. It's really important to try and protect us."
She continued: "But I just wanted to raise a few things - the aircon isn't working in this hospital, and we've had workmen here outside my door and one guy was trying to do some work and when the nurse asked if she could close the door, he was really rude to her. Really rude to her. And then the nurse had to go away and it was 15 minutes before she got back."
"He felt like he had a job to do, and he'd put his work bag on the bin which was holding my door open. I've normally got a mask on as well, but no one else has a mask on around me. Then I had three guys come in...the nurse said the aircon wasn't working and they said it was. Three guys just walked in, no masks, nothing. It wasn't working - she was right and in the end they went away and she asked if it was okay if they came back. I said 'With masks on!'", she added.
Cancer Journey
Shaw, who also enjoyed a brief pop career with a cover of Lonnie Gordon's "Happenin' All Over Again" and appeared in Casualty, Doctors, and various theatre productions, has been undergoing gruelling chemotherapy since her diagnosis. Her candid update highlights the ongoing challenges faced by cancer patients, including the need for protection from infections and the importance of NHS support.
