Kate’s recovery is great news – but be wary of a soft-focus view of life after chemo | Hilary Osborne

I hope people took comfort from the royal video. But a film made after my treatment would have been greyer and grottier, perhaps more typical

I am trying to imagine what a film announcing my recovery from cancer would have looked like. Probably a bit like a trailer for a new zombie film rather than a Flake advert. Probably nothing like the video released by the Princess of Wales to mark her emergence from treatment.

For wandering through wheat fields I would substitute tackling an overgrown garden that I had not had the energy to do anything with for more than a year - before having to have a sit down because I was so knackered. For a contemplative lean against a tree I would substitute a rest against a lamp-post on the way to work for a quiet sob. For shiny hair and complexion I would substitute what one of my doctors described as a sort of greyness" that seems to linger on patients for a while after chemo.

Hilary Osborne is the Guardian's money and consumer editor

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.