Since I was diagnosed with osteoporosis last fall, my life has taken a surprising turn. But I had no idea it would lead to me – and my mother – meeting the Queen in the Morning Room Clarence House.
I was invited because of my campaign in this newspaper to raise awareness of the deadly bone disease, in particular to help people receive early diagnosis by providing a Fracture Liaison Service across the country.
At the reception, I was presented with a certificate of appreciation in the presence of His Majesty. I felt a surge of pride standing next to him and as he expressed his ‘huge thanks’ for the work this paper had done.
“This has really put osteoporosis on the map,” he said. ‘Can I implore you to keep going… this is making a huge difference to many people who would otherwise go undiagnosed.’ At that time, I was busy.
The lead up to the reception was stressful: with perfect timing, at the start of the week I experienced not only a stye in my eye but also an emergency visit to the dentist.
Mail on Sunday journalist Ruth Sunderland and her mother meet the Queen in the Morning Room at Clarence House
Queen Camilla with the winners of the inaugural Queen’s Award for Osteoporosis at Clarence House on 3 October
Only with a large amount of make-up could I avoid any resemblance to the peasant women in Breughel’s paintings. I was shaking with anticipation when we arrived at the reception, an intimate affair with 20 guests. However, mother was immediately at home.
He wasn’t at all surprised and was probably in his back kitchen. Moments later, he chatted with actress Susan Hampshire, celebrity ambassador for the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
It meant a lot that my mother, Lyn Hunter, who is in her 80s, was there with me. At least because I want to make amends with him. The weekend I suffered the fracture that led to my diagnosis a year ago, he traveled from Teesside to see me in London.
Instead of enjoying a nice mother-daughter dinner, he was stuck for five hours with me in the emergency room at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. As he said, he thought his days of taking his kids to the hospital for broken bones were behind him years ago.
But unfortunately, osteoporosis is often a matter between mother and child. Her mother has not been diagnosed, but having a parent with the disease is a risk factor.
The Queen, who is president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, became involved because her mother and grandmother suffered greatly from the condition.
‘There’s still a stigma’ about osteoporosis, the Queen said in conversation with us.
Although this disease affects half of women aged over 50 years and one in five men.
The Queen spoke movingly to us about her mother Rosalind Shand, who died of osteoporosis aged 72 in 1994.
‘Years ago, no one talked about it,’ said the Queen, adding that back then, signs of illness, such as ‘widow’s hump’ or a decrease in height, were considered aging.
‘My mother went to the doctor and he told her, ‘You’re old, of course you’re going to have a hump’,’ said the Queen.
The Queen commented that Ruth’s work had ‘put osteoporosis on the map’
Queen Camilla, who is president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, got involved because her mother and grandmother suffered greatly from the condition.
‘We all felt very guilty because we thought he was making a lot of noise. We couldn’t believe someone would be in so much pain – we didn’t know why he was screaming like this. His height dropped six to seven inches. He can’t do anything.’
The Queen asked her mother if she also suffered from osteoporosis. “No, not that I know of,” answered Mother. ‘Have you ever been examined?’ ‘No…’ Mother admitted.
‘Well, that’s the problem, no one has ever been examined in your generation,’ said the Queen. ‘Now younger people are being diagnosed. I think it will happen to your generation too, but no one knows because no one is checking.’
‘At least,’ the Queen added, turning to me, ‘you can do something about it,’ and asked if I was undergoing treatment.
When I said I was taking Evenity, a bone-building drug, he replied: ‘They are [the treatments] Extraordinary. I’ve seen so many people completely rejuvenated.’ I said I wanted to stay healthy so I could look after mom. “The opposite is true,” Mum argued.
His Holiness spoke about the importance of the scan, known as DEXA, which can identify osteoporosis.
“It’s important for doctors to realize that when people have surgery with a fracture, they should have a DEXA scan because that’s the way to detect it,” he said.
My campaign in The Mail on Sunday is to achieve just that – rapid diagnosis and treatment after the first fracture.
If this happens, it is very likely that the patient will not experience another fracture and can live well.
I want to end the cruel postcode lottery that condemns millions of people to have their lives ruined by preventable fractures.
Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) is the gold standard. They pick up patients who arrive at the hospital with broken bones and offer DEXA scans to see if they have osteoporosis.
The Queen spoke movingly to us about her mother Rosalind Shand, who died of osteoporosis aged 72 in 1994
But FLS is only available in around half of NHS trusts in England. The service is offered in Scotland and Northern Ireland and full coverage is promised in Wales.
At the Labor Party conference, Health Minister Wes Streeting promised to do just that honoring a promise to roll out the service across the UK by 2030.
But there are fears the Treasury will withdraw the £30 million, even though the cost is only a small fraction of the burden the NHS bears in treating osteoporosis victims.
Craig Jones, chief executive of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, said The Mail on Sunday’s campaign had ‘shattered stereotypes’ and highlighted the fact ‘young people in the workplace, at the peak of their careers, are suffering from this condition’.
Dr Nicky Peel, consultant doctor at Sheffield University, was awarded The Queen’s Award for his outstanding work in the field of osteoporosis over 30 years.
When the event closed, I almost cried but Mom took it in stride. ‘The Queen is beautiful… and the cake is very delicious,’ he opined.