Thursday, 2 November 2006

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Delta Goodrem: Cancer made me tough

After battling Hodgkin's disease, she's stronger

Delta Goodrem has needed all her inner strength to pull her through the bad times recently.

Over the past two years, the Aussie singer and actress has gone from being tipped for pop stardom to battling cancer and taking flak for her relationship with Brian McFadden.

But few could now be better equipped to deal with such an emotional roller coaster.
Delta, 20, says her experience has made her a stronger person and taught her to enjoy what each day has to offer.

‘Having cancer has completely changed my world,’ she says.

‘When you’re faced with something so huge, you go through a great deal of personal growth and I’m a different person now.

‘I live every day as it comes. I’ve realised that many things I worried about before just aren’t important.’

Delta’s illness is now in remission, although she’ll have to wait five years before doctors give her the all clear.

She mistook cancer for being run down

It was in July 2003 that she embarked on what she now describes as her ‘defining story’.
At the time, life was good – her debut album had just topped the charts in Australia, she had a starring role in Neighbours and was about to launch her music career in America.

But three days before she was due to fly to the States she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease – cancer of the lymphatic system.

The singer had been feeling tired for months, but dismissed it as being run-down because she’d been working flat-out between London and Melbourne.

Even when she found a lump in her neck, doctors told her there was nothing to worry about. Then one night she dreamt that something awful was about to happen and woke up in a hot sweat.

Everything changed after Hodgkin's

The next day her mother took her to hospital. Tests revealed a series of tumours in her throat and months of gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed.

‘Physically, I changed a lot – I even lost my long blond hair,’ says Delta.

‘But it was on a deeper level that I changed the most. Before, I didn’t have a care in the world.

‘Then everything changed. It was surreal. I was angry, I was sad. I thought: “Why me?” In the early stages I lost a lot of confidence.’

I'm not superhuman

During her treatment, Delta started dating Aussie tennis ace Mark Philippoussis, but as her recovery progressed, their relationship came to an end. But Delta overcame that hurdle, too.

‘I’m not superhuman – I was just like any other teenager who was trying to deal with cancer,’ she says.

‘I was really hurt by people and cancer leaves you feeling very vulnerable. But as time went by I began to realise I’d changed in a positive way, too.

‘Simple things like enjoying a great cup of coffee felt wonderful. I’ve also toughened up. I used to be nervous and shy, but now I realise the things that worried me aren’t scary at all. They’re things to enjoy, not get stressed about.’

Set on helping others with cancer

It’s this message Delta now hopes to pass on to other young people with cancer.

She’s just helped to launch a new website by the charity CancerBACUP, aimed at providing teenagers with information, support and an opportunity to chat online.

It’s the UK’s first website of its kind and will help teenagers and their loved ones understand what they’re going through.

‘It’s exciting for me to be able to help kids who have cancer. When I was diagnosed, I had plenty of support, but it was still confusing and frightening and at times I felt very alone. I want teenagers to know there’s help out there.’

I'm too young for marriage to Brian

Delta says that only recently have her energy levels returned to normal. And – despite rumours of an engagement – marriage to Brian looks as though it’ll have to wait.

‘I’m only 20 and I’ve got plenty of time,’ she says. Meanwhile, she’s still on her journey of self-discovery.

‘I’m still too close to my experience of cancer to look on it as a blessing,’ she says.

‘But now I’m really loving my life. I want to live it the best way I can and, above all, I want to help others.

‘If the things I’ve learned can help anyone else, then that makes me very happy.’

Helen Renshaw

CancerBACUP’s new website tic (teen info on cancer) is at www.click4tic.org.uk