Kylie's story of cancer survival http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/story/?id=29264
REPORTER: David Richardson BROADCAST DATE: July 17, 2006 Kylie's story of cancer survival A healthy-looking Kylie Minogue has revealed she hit rock bottom during her fight against breast cancer, but is keen to thank her supportive fans on stage. Australia's most famous breast cancer survivor is inspiring a new awareness of this killer disease and hope of fighting it. Kylie Minogue says that since her diagnosis, other young women have approached her surgeon, their lives potentially saved in a check-up after hearing of Kylie's scare. For the first time, Kylie has spoken out about her breast cancer battle, her year of fighting for her life and the moment she discovered she was in trouble. "The moment my doctor told me I went silent," Kylie told Sky TV. "My mum and dad were with me. then we all fell to pieces and I was saying 'no, because I'm packing, I've got my flight to Sydney in two hours, no, no, but I'm getting a plane'." But she was not getting on that plane. "I had one day's grace where I knew and I went for a walk down to the beach with my brother and my boyfriend and I would have been in a total daze," Kylie said. "And then the next day we made the announcement. Then I was virtually a prisoner in the house." Kylie's world of sequins, hot pants and packed stages across the globe was turned upside-down. Her world became an operating theatre, a recovery ward and then her Melbourne family home. She admitted being very scared. "It's really hard to express how I felt or even the chain of events," Kylie told Sky. "It's such a personal journey, even though you need the people all around you. I would just go to my bedroom and quietly have 20 minutes to myself and try and deal with everything." Rarely does Kylie mention the C word, preferring to call her disease "it". But during her interview, Kylie spoke of her determination, her family, the uncertainty of fighting the disease and learning to live one day at a time. "You've got to fight it, you can't sit back and let everyone else do all the work for you," Kylie said. "I don't know exactly what that means, to fight it, but you get through each day." "Time keeps ticking, go through the motions and I can hardly believe that I'm here. I can do whatever I want." Kylie underwent surgery in Melbourne, but opted to have her chemotherapy in Paris. While her mum went with her, it was during these days that she feared the worst. "Take everything else away, you're dealing with your life," Kylie told Sky TV. "I just thought that might be it, you know. Don't make me cry." Each day in Australia, an average of 32 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Few will receive the amount of attention Kylie Minogue has seen, but according to experts it was the kind of recognition the disease needs to prompt women of all ages to have breast checks. Janine Porter Steele runs a support group for breast cancer victims. "For younger women in their 30s, they've got a lot more issues [arising from a breast cancer diagnosis]," Janine said. "It will be things like dealing with young children. For many of them, if they haven't had children, it's those issues relating to fertility and then the issues relating to treatment." It was only recent pictures of Kylie, taken by boyfriend Olivier Martinez, that proclaimed to the world that Kylie was well on the road to recovery. Though her treatment reduced the already tiny singer down to a mere 38kg, today she looks remarkably fresh and healthy. "Well, I'm happy to be here," Kylie laughed. For the first time in her life, she has spent a year resting. "A lot of people have been commenting that 'you look really well', which is really strange," Kylie said. Despite further treatments and rigid procedures to follow, Kylie is planning to re-emerge with a concert series in Australia at the end of the year. It will be a special thank you to a public that watched her recover, bombarding her with cards and letters wishing her well. "More than ever I've realized, that's what I do, that's what inspires me," Kylie said. "I feel engaged and more than ever to be on stage. It's going to be such an emotional experience." Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
