ForevaXena's Transcripts . . .

Sunday Star Times (NZ) Newspaper Article about Lucy's cousin being diagnosed with cancer (12/3/00)
Photo scan by Richard Kloosterboer from New Zealand.  Transcript by ForevaXena.

Click for larger image

Article by Donna Chisholm

Lucy Lawless fronted a television campaign urging women to have breast cancer screening, unaware her cousin had been diagnosed with an aggressive breast tumour.

Lawyer Clair Ryan, daughter of Lawless's high profile uncle, Queens Counsel Kevin Ryan, has just completed an intensive 3 months of chemotherapy and is about to have a mastectomy and begin radiotherapy. Her cancer was diagnosed in August, the day before her 38th birthday. 

"Its an extraordinary coincidence" Claire Ryan says.  "When I saw Lucy doing the ads I was really proud of her. I just thought "this is fantastic" because the campaign does need to include younger women."

Lawless says she found out only after the ads began screening that her cousin was fighting the disease. "It didn't come as such an awful shock because I am surrounded by people with various types of cancer" she says. "I have a friend with cervical cancer who is 27 and a friend with breast cancer who is 43". 

She urged woman to buy themselves or a friend a mammogram. "$150 for peace of mind is the best birthday or Christmas present you can give someone you love"

Ryan, a crown prosecutor in Auckland says it never occurred to her when she had a swelling in her breast checked in July that she would have cancer.  She did not hesitate to go to the doctor but says many younger women may put it off through fear or a misguided confidence that they are too young to have cancer.

"Older women are at more risk but I have been struck by the number of people my age and younger who are getting it," says Ryan.

Ironically, she had already discussed with her doctor her plans to start getting mammograms at 40, although her family has no history of the disease.

"Unfortunately, my errant cells didn't wait."

Ryan says her tumour is large - although chemotherapy had shrunk it by half - and her prognosis "challenging" but her Catholic faith has helped her come to terms with her mortality.  "I realise that mortality is not the end of things, but it doesn't make me stop fighting".

END TRANSCRIPT

Back to Transcripts