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It’s been five months since Channel 7 sports presenter Mel McLaughlin shocked viewers by revealing she had been secretly battling stage 2 lung cancer.
At the time, Mel – a lifelong non-smoker – told colleague and news host Mark Ferguson that her diagnosis was “very traumatic” and “very triggering” because her sister Tara, a mum of two, lost her life in 2015 to the same cruel disease.
It’s a lot of emotions. Obviously, you don’t want to worry anyone. In our family I didn’t want anyone to think lung cancer meant death, we had one example and we lost her,” she said, revealing that she had undergone surgery to remove half her lung after receiving her diagnosis in December 2025.
Mel bravely returned to TV screens in April 2026, and in July she was part of the commentating team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
Now, in an emotional post on what would have been her sister’s birthday, Mel shared a message to the sibling she tragically lost.
“Happy heavenly birthday to my beautiful big sister, who had a busy year up in the stars making sure I went and got “that thing” checked.. (I know it was you ✨),” Mel shared to Instagram.
“Miss you, love you, and your babies are amazing.. just like you ♥️.”
It’s not the first time Mel has shared how she has felt her sister’s presence through her own health journey.
In her March 2026 interview with Channel 7, the beloved sports presenter said that she felt her sister was “with” her, and said maybe she “got lucky” in receiving the diagnosis when she did.
Mel’s sister, a police officer, had also never smoked when she was diagnosed with cancer, and it is understood the cancer was due to a genetic mutation.
“I find it very hard to talk about,” Mel previously told News Corp. “The cancer she had has such a disgusting rate of death.”
In an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly, Mel shared 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 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.”
