Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw, best known for playing Maxine Peacock on the ITV soap from 1995 to 2003, has shared an emotional update from hospital after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The 52-year-old began chemotherapy treatment earlier this year and recently required an emergency A&E visit due to high temperatures.
Emotional Hospital Update
Taking to Instagram, Shaw appeared in a hospital bed, visibly upset as she described the difficulty of attending hospital when other patients may have comparatively minor complaints. 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 added: "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." Shaw also noted the risk to her low immune system, saying: "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."
Gratitude and Frustration
While thanking staff for securing a private room, Shaw expressed frustration that the air conditioning was broken during a heatwave and that workmen nearby were not wearing face coverings. She recounted: "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."
She continued: "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." Shaw also described an incident where three workmen entered without masks, despite the nurse correctly stating the aircon was not working.
Career Background
Shaw, who also had a short-lived music career with her version of Lonnie Gordon's 'Happenin' All Over Again', later appeared in Casualty, Doctors, and numerous stage shows. Her breast cancer diagnosis was revealed earlier this year, and she continues to undergo chemotherapy.
