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She’s been notably absent from the screens of Channel Seven for months, and now sports presenter Mel McLaughlin has revealed she has been quietly undergoing treatment for Stage 2 lung cancer behind the scenes.
The brunette star – who is a lifelong non-smoker – shared news of her shock diagnosis during an interview with Mark Ferguson on Seven News on March 11, describing it as “very traumatic” and “very triggering”.
The health crisis has a particular significance for the star – whose older sister, Tara, died from lung cancer aged just 39.
“I think that was my big sister. Maybe I got lucky. I don’t know. I definitely think she’s with me,” Mel told her colleague in the emotional interview.
Tara, a police officer and mum-of-two lost her life in 2015. She had never smoked either, but was diagnosed with cancer due to a genetic mutation.
“I find it very hard to talk about,” Mel, now 46, told News Corp at the time. “The cancer she had has such a disgusting rate of death.”
An intensely private person, Mel – who has now had surgery to remove part of her lung – decided to share her own story for one reason: awareness.
Lung cancer is the fifth most diagnosed cancer in the nation but Australia’s deadliest.
“The reason why I wanted to do it is not to talk about me, and I’m not just saying this,” Mel told her colleague.
“It’s awareness. It’s the biggest cancer killer in the country. It’s got a terrible stigma. I feel like I owe it to my sister. I just owe it to people that maybe could get something out of this. Smoker, non-smoker – no one deserves lung cancer.”
In a previous interview with Australian Women’s Weekly, Mel shared more about the tragedy that had impacted her family, explaining how every day was “hard” following her sister’s passing.
“There’s literally not a day where she’s not in our hearts and thoughts,” the star told the magazine.
In a separate interview with The Morning Show, Mel told how her sister inspired her in life.
“Anyone who knew her knew just what a spectacular human being she was and we see her spirit through her children every day,” she said.
“We all try to live I guess, with her in mind and anyone who’s going through that grieving process you never really get over it.
“She guides a lot of my decisions and obviously always in my thoughts and so she’s why I want to do more to really for the Lung Foundation, because her story, she died at 39 which is ridiculous, never smoked and there’s a lot of research still to be done.”
In the same interview, Mel opened up about the symptoms her sister suffered before her shock diagnosis, saying she felt unbearably tired and there was a pain in her chest she couldn’t explain.
“Tara had never complained about being tired,” Mel revealed. “She went to a GP and they said, ‘You’re tired because you have a baby and your chest hurts because you are breastfeeding.’ And she had stage four lung cancer.”
For more information on lung cancer, visit: Lung Foundation Australia – Lung Foundation Australia: Together We’re Making A Difference, or Cancer Council – https://give.cancercouncil.com.au/
