Mel McLaughlin has lost part of her lung as she battles lung cancer – the same disease that took her big sister a decade ago.
The Channel Seven sports presenter revealed the devastating diagnosis in an exclusive Seven News interview with Mark Ferguson on Wednesday night.
The 46-year-old has undergone surgery to remove a malignant tumour from her lung, along with a large section of the organ, despite never having smoked.
In a cruel twist, Mel lost her older sister, Tara, to the same disease in 2015 at the age of 39, leading McLaughlin to work as an ambassador for the Lung Foundation Australia.
Neither woman was ever a smoker, with doctors now believing there may be a genetic link that led the siblings to suffer from the same illness ten years apart.
‘I was diagnosed with lung cancer in December. So that’s led to surgery. I’ve had half my lung cut out,’ McLaughlin told her co-star Ferguson.
Mel McLaughlin (pictured) has lost part of her lung as she battles lung cancer – the same disease that took her big sister a decade ago
The Channel Seven sports presenter revealed the devastating diagnosis in an exclusive Seven News interview with Mark Ferguson (left) on Wednesday night
‘It’s very traumatic. It’s very triggering. It’s a lot of emotions. And also you don’t want to worry anyone.’
After the death of her sister, who was a mother of two, a decade prior, Mel explained that it was utterly heartbreaking sharing the news of her own diagnosis with her family at Christmastime.
‘In our family, lung cancer meant death. We had one example, and we lost her,’ McLaughlin said, becoming emotional.
Undergoing surgery to remove the tumour, as well as part of her lung, at the same North Shore hospital where her sister had lost her own battle was a bitter irony.
‘I cried, and then I laughed. Is this a joke?’ Mel said of finding herself in the very ICU where she had visited Tara during her illness.
Mel’s cancer was caught in the early stages and she qualified for surgery, while for her sister, the diagnosis had come too late.
‘Maybe I got lucky. Maybe that was my sister. I definitely think she was with me. That’s what they do. Big sisters and big brothers, look out for you,’ she said.
Most astonishingly, Mel continued to work on the air until the day before her operation, hosting Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test and then Sydney’s Pink Test in early January, in between rushing off for blood tests and scans.
In a cruel twist, Mel lost her older sister, Tara (right), to the same disease in 2015, at the age of 39, leading McLaughlin to work as an ambassador for the Lung Foundation Australia. She left behind two young children
The Pink Test raises funds for cancer charity McGrath Foundation, and McLaughlin put on a brave face for the cameras, stressing the importance of donations and awareness, all while secretly battling the disease herself.
‘I look back and think, what the hell was I thinking? The intention was good. I know it’s probably a bit crazy,’ she admitted.
With her cancer caught early, the prognosis is positive.
‘Recovery is slow but good. They’re happy for now,’ Mel said cautiously.
McLaughlin hopes to return to work in July to host the Commonwealth Games and later, the Rugby League World Cup in October.
For now, her goal is raising awareness for a stigmatised illness.
‘The reason I want to do it, was not to talk about me. It’s awareness. It’s the biggest cancer killer in the country, but it’s got a terrible stigma,’ she said.
‘I feel like I owe it to my sister. I owe it to people who maybe could get something out of this.’
‘In our family, lung cancer meant death. We had one example, and we lost her,’ McLaughlin said, becoming emotional
Most astonishingly, Mel continued to work on the air until the day before her operation, hosting Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test and then Sydney’s Pink Test (pictured) in early January, in between rushing off for blood tests and scans
McLaughlin has been absent from on-air duties since January and has been quietly undergoing treatment for months.
She was diagnosed before the start of the summer cricket series last year.
Speculation mounted about McLaughlin’s absence after she disappeared from screens in January and was replaced by Matthew White during the evening news bulletins.
McLaughlin was thought to be returning to work in February.
However, Seven confirmed to news.com.au last week that she would not be back on air until March 15, ‘at the earliest’.
According to The Daily Telegraph, several of McLaughlin’s Seven colleagues were told about her health battle after a promo for the interview aired on Wednesday morning.
Mel previously told The Australian Women’s Weekly she had always been close to her sister Tara when they were growing up and their bond extended into adulthood.
Tara was a senior constable with the New South Wales Police and left behind two young sons, Harry and Flynn, when she died.
Unlike her sister Tara’s lung cancer, Mel’s was caught early, and she said that, ‘Recovery is slow but good. They’re happy for now’
Mel said in 2022: ‘There’s literally not a day where she’s not in our hearts and thoughts. Every day is hard. Watching our sister’s kids grow up without a mum.’
The TV host is an ambassador for Lung Foundation Australia, a charity that supports lung cancer sufferers.
‘It took me years to get involved. But the mortality rate is disgusting,’ she said.
‘The Foundation needs more money and attention. Maybe I’m not doing enough, but I’m trying.’
The presenter, who was born and raised in Sydney, rose to prominence after joining Fox Sports in 2007.
Six years later, McLaughlin was poached by Network Ten to host their Big Bash coverage.
She moved to the Seven Network in 2016.
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