Married At First Sight expert Mel Schilling has taken to Instagram with a message that has resonated deeply with her followers.
In a year that swung between personal triumphs and profound challenges, Mel has embraced a new perspective on life’s preciousness after her own cancer surgery.
As 2023 came to a close, Schilling reflected on her experiences, sharing that despite not typically participating in New Year’s resolutions, the past year’s events have led her to a different outlook.
She expressed gratitude for the support and welcome she received from the people in the UK and Ireland, which has made her feel at home away from Australia.
‘I’ve been so touched by the warmth and generosity that the people of the UK & Ireland have showed me, I’ve been made to feel so welcome by you all and am so appreciative of that,’ she wrote.
‘Whilst I will always be a proud Aussie I feel like an honorary Brit and the UK really feels like home.’
However, her narrative takes a sombre turn as she reveals the ‘life-changing lows’ that have cast a shadow over her year.
She shared the personal tragedy of losing her brother-in-law at just 35, a preventable loss that has highlighted the preciousness of health and life.
‘The tragedy of his passing was that it could have been prevented. Had he and all of us heeded the health warnings he’d still be with us,’ she explained.
‘The terrible irony is that 6 months later I too compromised my health while pursuing my goals and it almost cost me my life, it’s not a mistake I intend to repeat.
‘While my cancer journey isn’t over and there will be some tough challenges ahead, I feel so incredibly grateful to be given this second chance, a second chance denied to so many.’
Mel recently revealed her tumour – which she named ‘Terry’ – had been removed by UK doctors.
‘So yesterday lunchtime I had keyhole surgery to remove my tumour (AKA Terry) and in the words of my amazing surgeon it couldn’t have gone any better!’ Mel wrote in an Instagram post on Friday.
She accompanied her post a photo of the TV star in a hospital bed, giving a thumbs up with a tube in her nose.
Mel added: ‘Crucially the cancer hadn’t spread to my abdominal cavity, which was our greatest fear but was entirely localised in my colon.’
‘Over the coming days I will discuss my treatment plan going forwards but suffice to say that Terry is toast!’
Mel then revealed her treatment had taken place in London and went on to praise the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
‘I also wanted to say that everyone in the UK should be incredibly proud of the people of the NHS.’
She added, ‘The NHS is a unique, precious institution we need to make sure it’s here to serve our children and our children’s children.’
Now, it’s time to focus on getting my a** out of here in time for Christmas,’ concluded the reality TV host.
Mel, who appears on the British and Australian versions of the show, first revealed she had colon cancer in an Instagram post last week.
In her post, Mel said she was diagnosed just one month after she began to feel pain in her stomach while filming MAFS Australia’s upcoming eleventh season.
Despite her heartbreaking situation, Mel said she felt ‘incredibly blessed’ her cancer is ‘relatively easy to eradicate’.
Common symptoms of colon cancer include a change in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, anal or rectal pain, lumps, unexpected weight loss, fatigue and anaemia.
Doctors recommend that people with an average risk of the cancer start screening at around age 45.
Those with a higher risk should start screening earlier.
Colon cancer treatment usually involves surgical removal of the cancer.
Other treatments like radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be recommended, depending on the location and stage of the cancer.