Sunrise host Edwina Bartholomew bravely opened up on air about her leukaemia diagnosis.
The news presenter told viewers that she is battling chronic myeloid leukaemia at the end of the September 6 episode of Sunrise.
“I have some personal news this morning. It’s not great news, not a panda story to finish the bulletin, I have been diagnosed with cancer,” she tearfully said.
“That’s a shock to say, and hard to say, but it’s a really good kind. It’s called chronic myeloid leukaemia.”
Edwina, known by viewers as Eddy, shared that she can fortunately treat the cancer with daily medication.
“It can be treated with a daily tablet, and if I take care of myself, I will be completely, absolutely fine. So I feel very, very lucky.”
Eddy said that she decided to share the personal news with viewers for a “couple of reasons”.
“Firstly, because everyone at home in here has been here for all the wonderful times, for the engagements and the weddings and the babies, for all of us. So it felt right to share this with you, too.”
She went on to say that another reason she decided to be open about her diagnosis was to encourage viewers to prioritise their health.
Edwina’s message to viewers in light of her cancer diagnosis
Eddy said that her co-star Nat Barr’s cancer scare spurred her to get a health check-up, which led to her diagnosis.
“I got a skin check after Nat had her scare,” Eddy said. “I had a mammogram after I had a few lumps, and that came back all clear.
“I even had an eye check, and that’s fine, but my doctor sent me to get some routine blood tests at the same time, and one of those tests came back with some levels out of whack.”
The Sunrise host tearfully said that she hoped that sharing her cancer diagnosis publicly would encourage viewers to check their own health.
“Please, particularly for mums who always take care of everyone else, please take care of yourself too, and just check in with your doctor,” she said.
Our thoughts are with Eddy and we hope her story inspires others to take care of themselves.
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