Edwina Bartholomew has taken to social media to reveal the surprising thing that made her smile on the challenging day she first found out she had cancer.
The Sunrise reporter, 41, revealed live on air Friday morning she had been diagnosed with leukaemia and has since posted a gallery of precious photos with her family to social media.
In her caption, Edwina thanked her friends and fans for their support before explaining how how spending time with family made her feel better.
Alongside a photo of her two-year-old son Tom carrying a ‘door snake’ draft stopper as he strolled towards a local park, Edwina wrote some heartfelt words.
‘Thank you. Thank you so much for all the love,’ her post began. ‘This past month has been such a strangely joyous time.
‘The day I got back from having my bone marrow biopsy, Tom insisted on taking the door snake to the park,’ Edwina began.
‘It made me laugh so much to accompany him down the street with the damn thing flung over his shoulder.’
Edwina added that performing her typical daily duties with family helped remind her about life’s simple joys amid this challenging time.
Edwina Bartholomew (pictured) has taken to social media to reveal the surprising thing which made her smile, just hours after going public with her shock cancer diagnosis
‘It was a lovely reminder that life goes on. I have been ocean swimming, dreaming up plans with my husband Neil and handing out a lot of hugs. Long may that continue.’
Many of Edwina’s celebrity friends quickly took to the comment section to congratulate her on staying positive during this difficult time.
‘You’re an incredibly strong, courageous woman Eddy…and I have no doubt you will get through this with your typical grace, and joy for life,’ wrote Lisa Wilkinson.
‘Sending you all the love and strength beauty! You got this!’ added Natalie Bassingthwaighte, while former Sunrise host Melissa Doyle chipped in: ‘Sending you all my love and strength sweetheart.’
The Sunrise reporter, 41, who on Friday revealed she had been diagnosed with leukaemia, posted a gallery of precious photos and said spending time with family made her feel better. Pictured with her husband Neil Varcoe and their children Molly and Tom
It comes after Edwina revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer in a tearful on-air admission during Friday’s Sunrise.
‘I have been diagnosed with cancer. That’s a shock to say and hard to say,’ she told viewers, her voice breaking with emotion.
‘It is a really good kind. It is called chronic myeloid leukaemia. It can be treated with a daily tablet. If I can take care of myself, I will be completely fine.’
The veteran TV star then began to weep before telling the audience: ‘I thought I could keep it together.’
Edwina went on to reveal her co-star Natalie Barr was actually to thank for her getting diagnosed as quickly as she had been – Her colleague had her own cancer scare in June, after a routine skin check uncovered skin cancer on her nose.
Concerned about her own health, Edwina visited her doctor for a mammogram, blood tests and a skin check – before discovering the harrowing news.
‘I had a mammogram after I had a few lumps. That came back all clear. I even had an eye check. That’s fine. But my doctor sent me to get routine blood tests at the same time,’ Edwina continued.
Alongside a photo of her two-year-old son Tom carrying a ‘door snake’ draft stopper as he strolled to a local park, Edwina wrote some heartfelt words
‘One of those tests came back with levels out of whack.
‘I feel very, very lucky and I wanted to share this with you for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because everyone at home and here has been here for all the wonderful times, for the engagements, and the weddings and the babies, for all of us. It felt right to share this with you too.
‘Many of you have been in similar situations or much, much worse and come out the other side stronger… and more resilient. That’s exactly what I plan to do.’
Edwina said the other reason she wished to share her sad news was because she wanted to encourage others to prioritise their health as well.
‘Please, particularly for mums who always take care of everyone else, please take care of yourself too. And just check in with your doctor,’ she said.
The Seven star found out about her shock diagnosis in July and kept it secret from the public, telling only a few friends at work.
She thanked all her co-stars for their support, singling out Natalie in particular ‘for constantly checking in and [providing] all the meals as well’.
Edwina then nodded her head to colleagues Monique Wright and Sally Bowrey ‘who shuffle around their family commitments so I could take care of mine’.
After thanking her bosses at Sunrise, Edwina revealed to viewers that she will be ‘taking time off in September’ before cutting down on her work at Sunrise.
Edwina added that performing her typical daily duties with family helped remind her about life’s simple joys amid this challenging time
The former Dancing With The Stars co-host said she will knock her work responsibilities down to just a few days a week at Sunrise when she returns.
According to Mayo Clinic, CML is an uncommon type of cancer in the bone marrow and is very slow to progress.
Various symptoms can occur, such as bone pain, fatigue, fever, weight loss, blurry vision and loss of appetite among others.
Edwina revealed she suffered very little of these symptoms, with the main being fatigue which she put down to waking up at 3am every morning for work.
Advances in treatment have improved the prognosis of people with CML and most people diagnosed with it can achieve remission and live for many years.
The longtime Seven star shares children Molly, four, and Thomas, two, with her husband of six years Neil Varcoe.
