Married At First Sight relationship expert Mel Schilling revealed her shock colon cancer diagnosis on Wednesday.
The psychologist and dating coach, 51, shared the heartbreaking news in an Instagram post on Wednesday morning, and explained she was diagnosed just one month after she began feeling pain in her stomach.
A once fit and healthy nurse, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of 29, recently shared the subtle ‘warning signs’ she experienced before her own detection.
Talitha Akamarmoi from the NSW Central Coast said she experienced symptoms of chronic fatigue and iron deficiency for about six months prior to the diagnosis.
After requiring three iron transfusions she eventually had a colonoscopy that found a ‘long’ tumour in her large intestine causing the issues.
Married At First Sight relationship expert Mel Schilling revealed her shock colon cancer diagnosis on Wednesday
Other common symptoms of the cancer include a change in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, anal or rectal pain, lumps, unexpected weight loss, fatigue and anaemia.
Talitha’s biggest piece of advice is to be an advocate for your health because bowel and colon cancer isn’t just an ‘old person’s disease’.
‘I was in complete shock when I found out, I burst into tears and I didn’t want to believe it,’ she told FEMAIL earlier this year.
Talitha had laparoscopic surgery in December 2021 to remove her entire right half of the colon and surrounding lymph nodes, then had to wait another week for the pathology results.
Unfortunately the cancer had spread to four lymph nodes, and so chemotherapy was required.
‘It was so frightening knowing I needed chemotherapy because it was such a foreign thing and I didn’t know what to expect,’ Talitha said.
She started treatment in January 2022 for six months and completed chemotherapy in July 2022.
Today testing shows no current signs of cancer in the body, body she’ll require check-ups for the next three months indefinitely.
Talitha Akamarmoi, a nurse from the NSW Central Coast, who also suffered colorectal cancer , recently shared the subtle ‘warning signs’ she experienced
Meanwhile, Schilling confirmed she will check into hospital tomorrow to remove a 5cm tumour in her colon which, had it gone undetected for much longer, would have killed her.
She is spending Christmas Day in hospital while receiving treatment.
She posted a photo of herself hugging her husband Gareth Brisbane, 51, and their daughter Madison, eight, alongside the caption: ‘”You have cancer.” Three little words that everyone dreads but no one ever expects to hear.
‘Last Thursday my consultant told me those three words.
‘About a month ago, when I was filming in , I developed severe stomach cramps on set. I put it down to all the travel I’d been doing and the upset it caused to my system,’ she explained.
Married At First Sight expert Schilling , who appears on the British and n versions of the show, shared the heartbreaking news she had been diagnosed with colon cancer on Wednesday morning
‘I saw my GP in Sydney and he put it down to constipation, gave me some laxatives and sent me on my way.’
Despite her doctor’s initial assessment, Schilling said she knew her condition was more serious and booked herself a scan when she travelled to the UK.
‘On Thursday I was told I had colon cancer and in an instant my whole life changed,’ she wrote.
Despite her heartbreaking situation, Schilling said she feels ‘incredibly blessed’ her cancer is ‘relatively easy to eradicate’.
She posted a photo of herself hugging her husband Gareth Brisbane , 51, and their daughter Madison, eight, alongside the caption: ‘”You have cancer.” Three little words that everyone dreads but no one ever expects to hear