Latest news with #cancerAwareness
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Magda Szubanski diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma - details emerge about her health history
Magda Szubanski's stage four cancer diagnosis marks yet another chapter in the former face of Jenny Craig's ongoing - and very public - health battles. The Australian comedian, 64, announced on Thursday she is battling Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) - a 'very rare' form of blood cancer - in a video posted to social media. 'It is one of the nasty ones, unfortunately,' the iconic Kath and Kim actress said, her head shaven in anticipation of chemotherapy treatment. 'But the good thing is, I'm surrounded by beautiful friends and family and an incredible medical support team.' MCL is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma - a cancer that starts in the lymphatic system. Around 70 per cent of MCL patients are diagnosed at stage 4. While it's an advanced stage, treatment can be effective, and many patients live for years after diagnosis. There is no known cure, but treatment can put the disease into remission. The cancer was discovered 'incidentally' during a breast screen, Magda said. Magda said she had been feeling 'pretty rats*** for ages' prior to diagnosis. 'I asked for extra bloods and - voila - so the take away is - get tested and listen to your body.' Magda said she is getting one of the best treatments available for her cancer, known as the Nordic protocol, a new type of treatment that combines chemo with immunotherapy. This marks another chapter in Magda's long and public journey with health issues - having been a face of one of the country's former best known weight loss brands, Jenny Craig, and more recently, starred in an ABC TV show, Magda's Big National Health Check. Magda has previously spoken about living with osteoarthritis, autoimmune arthritis, sleep apnoea, and migraines. In addition to her physical health, the comedian has been a vocal advocate for mental health awareness, candidly sharing her experiences with anxiety. In a powerful essay for the ABC in 2022, Magda opened up about her lifelong struggle with weight and the harmful impact dieting had on her. 'We've all done the diets, and the statistics are dire — only a tiny minority of people manage to keep the weight off,' the 61-year-old wrote. Magda insisted that diets have done nothing but disrupt her metabolism, making it even harder to control her weight. 'I've had doctors say really awful things to me in the past, like 'you need to lose weight' and I'll say, 'what do you suggest I do?' And they say: 'Eat less, move more'. 'That's not even true, now there's much more understanding of the complex endocrinology for overweight people — there can be a lot going on.' Magda lost 30kg as the face of Jenny Craig between 2009 and 2011, later re-signing with the company in 2014 only to part ways once again six months later. Magda learned during her ABC show that she was pre-diabetic - a condition where blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, though not high enough to constitute a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. By 2023, she celebrated a major milestone in her fight against diabetes. 'Have got my Hba1c out of pre-diabetes and back in the normal range,' she said. After the show's filming she said she took her health more seriously. 'I started taking my chronic health conditions more seriously, because I tend to just ride roughshod over them,' she told the Scott Trust. 'But I'm a long way down the path – I don't know whether I can turn around or not, to be really honest. I certainly haven't given up.'
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘His story impacts everyone' Terry Fox's brother visits Yorkton school to continue family's legacy
Fred Fox talks about the life of his brother, Terry Fox at St. Paul's School in Yorkton on Wednesday. (Fruzsina De Cloedt / CTV News) Fred Fox, Terry Fox's brother, is stopping in several communities across Saskatchewan this week to carry on his family's legacy of inspiring a nation to hope for a cancer-free future. After learning that St. Paul's School in Yorkton had been organizing Terry Fox runs for 15 years, the Terry Fox Foundation contacted the school to make sure they got a visit. 'There's close to 10,000 schools in Canada that have Terry Fox runs, so I can't get to all of them. I get to about 100 or 120 every year,' Fox said. The gym was full at St. Paul's School on Wednesday morning. Students were sitting on the ground, chatting excitedly about the upcoming presentation. After a brief introduction from Principal Quinn Haider, Fred Fox took the stage and started telling the story of his brother, Terry. Fred Fox Fred Fox, Terry Fox's brother, visited St. Paul's School in Yorkton on Wednesday. (Fruzsina De Cloedt / CTV News) From childhood photos to reports from his famous run in 1980, he covered it all. One could hear a needle drop in the gym as the children listened to the story. Terry Fox's dream 45 years ago was to run across Canada to end cancer. His Marathon of Hope ended early when his cancer returned, but the momentum has continued. Evan Weber, a student in the audience, told CTV News that he loves hearing about Terry Fox. 'His story impacts everyone very well and it helps cancer research excel,' Weber said. Fox said he is inspired watching the children since they're a new generation that could carry his brother's work further. 'They potentially could be the next researcher, being funded by the money that's being raised [through the runs].' Weber said he may become a scientist one day, but he's not sure. Whatever the future holds for these young people, one thing is for sure. The tenacity of Fox brought a nation together and inspired many people to 'finish it,' 'He was having a really tough day, and he wrote in his in his journal, 'If I quit now, I'll be letting so many people down',' Fred quoted from his brother's journal. 'That's why Terry Fox was running. To help other people.' St. Paul's School in Yorkton plans to continue organizing Terry Fox runs to raise funds for those touched by cancer, in hopes of helping to finish what he started 45 years ago.
The Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald
‘A bold voice who brought courage' — tributes pour in for comedian Thato Mabelane
Industry colleagues, friends and fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to comedian Thato Mabelane. Thato succumbed to cancer in the early hours on Monday. Thato's friend Dr Estelle Wiid confirmed the news to TshisaLIVE, revealing the comedian was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago but it metastasised to the brain. Ahead of the memorial ceremony set to take place on June 1 at Chapmans Peak second viewing point in Cape Town from 2pm, industry colleagues reflected on the impact she made as a comedian, HR specialist and champion rower.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘I started planning my funeral' says Love Island star as she reveals terrifying cancer scare
A FORMER Love Island star has revealed she started planning her own funeral amid a terrifying cancer scare. Liana Isadora, who appeared on the reality show in 2016, has shared the moment she feared for her future as a warning to those who still use sunbeds. 3 3 The star - who had a ten year addiction to sunbeds - shared a TikTok describing how she feared she had melanoma and believed it was a 'death sentence'. Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body. She explained: 'I literally went home, cried my eyes out and started planning my funeral. I was DISTRAUGHT, convinced I was going to die and it would all be the fault of my own ignorance.' In the hard-hitting clip, Liana started: 'If this is melanoma, then it's a death sentence. Imagine hearing those words at the age of 28, because that was me exactly two years ago today. Full context, I was an extreme sunbed addict for 10 years. 'I had a sunbed in my house, I used tanning nasals, tanning injections, and then I went to a dermatology appointment, I had a symptom of melanoma, and these were the exact words that a dermatologist told me.' She continued: 'I don't know if it was a bit unprofessional for them to be so abrupt, but I am so grateful that they did say the word death sentence to me, because it was the one and only thing that scared me enough to make me stop using sunbeds cold turkey. I've never been on one since, and I'll never go on one again, and I'll never use tanning products again.' Liana was relieved to learn it wasn't cancer, but added 'who's to say this won't catch up with me in the future?' During her time on Love Island, Liana was coupled up with Adam Maxted but they were separated when they were voted, by the rest of the contestants, as one of the weakest couples. She was then coupled with Tom Powell before they got the boot. She now has a child with her boyfriend and often shares videos about how different her life is now. 3 Controversial Love Island star reveals she's secretly become a mum What is melanoma, what are the symptoms and how can you prevent it? Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body. It is diagnosed 16,000 times per year, and tragically takes the lives of 2,340 people per year. The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is increasing, and it is the 5th most common cancer in the UK. But it is also one of the most preventable cancers, with 86 per cent of cases in the UK avoidable. The best way to protect yourself from melanoma is to be sun safe - wear SPF every day, wear a hat and sunglasses and keep out of the sun in the hottest hours. It is also advised to avoid sunbeds. People who are fair-skinned, have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair and a large number of freckles or moles are more likely to get skin cancer. Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma, particularly if it is found early. This will involve removing the affected tissue in the skin. Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used to try and stop the cancer from growing. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease. What are the symptoms? The key thing to look out for are changes to an existing mole, or a new mole on your skin. Most experts recommend using the simple 'ABCDE' rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body. There are five letters/words to remember: A symmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape B order – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border C olours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours D iameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter E nlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma A mole that changes size, shape or colour may be a melanoma. But other signs to look out for include moles that are: Swollen and sore Bleeding Itchy Crusty How deadly is it? Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. The outlook of a person's disease depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. Survival is better for women than it is for men. 'We don't know exactly why this is. It may be because women are more likely to see a doctor about their melanoma at an earlier stage,' says Cancer Research UK. The charity says that generally, statistics show that in England, more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85 per cent) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed. Around 100 per cent in England diagnosed with melanoma at stage 1 - when the cancer cells are only in the top layer of skin - will survive for five years or more after drops to 80 per cent for stage 2. Some 70 per cent live for a further five years when they are diagnosed in stage 3, which is when the cancer has started to spread to nearby lymph nodes. At stage 4, when the melanoma has spread elsewhere in the body, almost 30 per cent survive their cancer for 5 years or more. Cancer Research says the stage 4 data does not account for age differences. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people. What is melanoma? Melanocytes are cells in the skin that give us the colour of our skin because they produce a pigment, known as melanin. When you sit in the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment (a sun tan), which spreads to other skin cells to protect them from the sun's rays. But melanocytes are also where cancer starts. Too much UV causes sunburn, and this is a sign of damage to the skin's DNA. The UV triggers changes in the melanocytes, which makes the genetic material become faulty and cause abnormal cell growth. People who burn easily are more at risk of skin cancer because their cells do not produce as much pigment to protect their skin. Those with albinism are at the most risk because their skin produces no pigment at all.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Fox News panelist makes personal revelation while defending Biden
A Fox News panelist has made a startling personal revelation while defending former President Joe Biden's health fitness for office. During a heated exchange on MediaBuzz, Lucy Caldwell argued that Biden could have served after his cancer diagnosis before revealing a shocking personal confession. Caldwell then revealed that she is personally battling cancer at the moment. 'Clay is not a urologist or an oncologist,' Caldwell said. 'I am actively a cancer patient right now. I also feel great.' 'Cancer is a very complicated disease. It's very hard to speculate why he wasn't screened … I think that the idea that this was a coverup of a cancer diagnosis seems quite unlikely,' she said. Her comments came after conservative commentator Clay Travis argued that Biden would have been forced to resign due to his recent prostate cancer diagnosis. 'And I just think we're very lucky as a country that Donald Trump is in office because otherwise, I think Joe Biden would have to step down and Kamala Harris would be elevated,' Travis said. 'The idea that this was a massive cover up, we just don't know.' 'You don't know what is going on with your cancer from one moment to the next,' she said. 'Joe Biden was just diagnosed. The fact that his doctors don't have all the information does not necessarily reflect that there's a cover-up. 'Cancer is a treatment. They're all different. And it's evolving moment to moment. You don't know.' The host asked if Caldwell's cancer was diagnosed at an early stage, to which she replied 'No - it was not actually - it was stage three.' This comes after medical experts have questioned claims that failure to test Joe Biden for prostate cancer was a routine omission. Last week, the ex-president's office said the 82-year-old, who left office in January, was diagnosed with an 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer that spread to his bones. According to Biden's aides, doctors stopped testing his prostate-specific antigens in 2014, despite US guidelines that suggest all men over 70 require routine testing. Since the announcement of his diagnosis, several doctors have questioned how the vicious disease was not detected earlier in the former US president - who is supposed to have had access to some of the best medical care available. 'To take a blood test from a man over 50 and not do a PSA is practically an assault. It is the most male-specific health-related blood test you can do,' a senior surgeon told The Telegraph. 'If you get an abnormal result, then you do a scan (I imagine the White House has an MRI scanner) and then after that you do a biopsy. It is not as if we throw drugs at anyone with a high PSA, but I simply cannot envision a world where nobody at the White House ever ticked yes to a PSA test for him.' Biden's cancer announcement last week led to an outpouring support for the former commander-in-chief, though many remain skeptical about the timeline of his diagnosis.
