MAFS's Mel Schilling's heartbreaking year – cancer diagnosis to tragic death
Mel Schilling has endured a heartbreaking year after losing a loved one before being diagnosed with cancer.
On Tuesday, the 51-year-old, who appears on the British and Australian versions of Married At First Sight, revealed she had been given the diagnosis after suffering from stomach cramps while filming Down Under. She was told she has colon cancer and confirmed she is undergoing surgery on Wednesday to remove a 5cm tumour.
Mel explained she will spend Christmas Day in hospital but doctors expect the relationship expert to make a "full recovery". The E4 star, who has been a part of Married At First Sight since 2019, has been faced with family heartbreak this year as well as the devastating cancer diagnosis.
Tragic family death
Earlier this year, in June, Mel took to Instagram to pay tribute to her brother-in-law, who had sadly died aged 35. The relationship expert called on her fans to "speak up" if they felt something was wrong with their health and advised her male followers that "asking for help is not weakness".
She wrote: "Farewell Little Bro. Today we lay my awesome brother-in-law Paddy to rest. I never had a brother growing up so when Pad came into my life (as a younger, cheekier clone of my hubby) I felt so lucky! He was a gentle giant, a guy with so much wit, warmth & swagger, the humour of a 15 year old boy & an enormous heart of gold.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
"Pad was my G's best mate, our Maddie's favourite Uncle Peanut and my secret men's fashion advisor. To his beautiful partner @amymcleod95x he was everything. Pad was 35 and his life was cut short way too early.
"To the men out there, listen up: Asking for help is not weakness. Going to a health professional is a normal part of life. Making lifestyle changes to support your health is smart & strong. Talking to your loved ones about your concerns is a sign of maturity & emotional intelligence. Please don’t ignore your body, if something feels wrong - Speak up. Reach out. Ask for help."
(@mel_schilling1/Instagram)
(mel_schilling1/Instagram)Cancer diagnosis
Mel shared her heartbreaking cancer diagnosis with her Instagram followers alongside a picture of her cuddling her husband Gareth Brisbane and their nine-year-old daughter Madison. She wrote: “'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 Australia 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. I saw my GP in Sydney and he put it down to constipation, gave me some laxatives and sent me on my way.
"Fortunately I knew something still wasn’t right so I booked in for a scan when I returned to the UK. On Thursday I was told I had colon cancer and in an instant my whole life changed."
Mel explained she had originally planned to visit family in Northern Ireland with her husband and their daughter, but will now be checking into hospital for an operation on "a tumour that, had it gone undetected for much longer, would have killed me".
The Married At First Sight star continued: "Despite this I feel incredibly blessed that it’s a cancer that is relatively easy to eradicate, I’m expected to make a full recovery though it’s a rough road ahead. I also feel so lucky to have an incredible support network around me, both personally and professionally, my own family and my TV family have been amazing this past few days.
"It will be so tough to spend Xmas Day in hospital instead of being surrounded by family but getting rid of Terry (what I’ve named my tumour) will be the best present of all. I just wanted to finish by saying that if something doesn’t feel right, please, please don’t ignore it and if you don’t think the answers you have got are right, keep going until you do, it might just save your life."
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