Edwina Bartholomew took to social media to reveal the surprising thing that made her smile on the difficult day she found out she had cancer.
The Sunrise reporter, 41, revealed live on Friday morning that she had been diagnosed with leukaemia and has since posted a gallery of lovely photos with her family on social media.
In her caption, Edwina thanked her friends and fans for their support before explaining how spending time with family made her feel better.
Alongside a photo of her two-year-old son, Tom, carrying a snake-shaped draught stopper as he walked to a local park, Edwina wrote some heartfelt words.
“Thank you. Thank you so much for all the love,” she began her post. “This past month has been a strangely joyful time.”
“The day I returned from the bone marrow biopsy, Tom insisted on taking the snake from the gate to the park,” Edwina began.
“It made me laugh a lot walking with him down the street with that damn thing hanging from his shoulder.”
Edwina added that going about her typical daily tasks with her family helped her remember the simple joys of life amid these difficult times.
Edwina Bartholomew (pictured) took to social media to reveal something surprising that made her smile, just hours after making her cancer diagnosis public.
“It was a beautiful reminder that life goes on. I’ve been swimming in the ocean, dreaming up plans with my husband Neil and giving out lots of hugs. I hope this continues for a long time.”
Many of Edwina’s famous friends were quick to take to the comments section to congratulate her for staying positive during this difficult time.
“You are an incredibly strong and brave woman, Eddy… and I have no doubt you will get through this with your usual grace and joy for life,” Lisa Wilkinson wrote.
“Sending all my love and strength to you, beauty! You can do it!” Natalie Bassingthwaighte added, while former Sunrise presenter Melissa Doyle added: “Sending all my love and strength to you, babe.”
The Sunrise reporter, 41, who revealed on Friday that she had been diagnosed with leukaemia, posted a gallery of lovely photos and said spending time with family made her feel better. She is pictured with husband Neil Varcoe and children Molly and Tom.
This comes after Edwina revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer in an emotional on-air admission during Friday’s Sunrise show.
“I’ve been diagnosed with cancer. It’s a shock to say and it’s hard to say,” she told viewers, her voice breaking with emotion.
“He’s a really good guy. It’s called chronic myeloid leukemia. It’s treatable with one pill a day. If I can take care of myself, I’ll be fine.”
The veteran TV star began to cry before telling the audience: “I thought I could keep it together.”
Edwina went on to reveal that her co-star Natalie Barr was actually the one to thank her for being diagnosed so quickly – her colleague had her own cancer scare in June, after a routine skin check discovered skin cancer on her nose.
Worried about her own health, Edwina visited her doctor for a mammogram, blood tests and a skin check, before discovering the heartbreaking news.
“I had a mammogram after I developed some lumps and the results were normal. I even had an eye exam. That’s fine. But my doctor sent me for routine blood tests at the same time,” Edwina continued.
Alongside a photo of her two-year-old son, Tom, carrying a snake-shaped door draught stopper as he walked to a local park, Edwina wrote some heartfelt words.
‘One of those tests showed unbalanced levels.
‘I feel very, very lucky and I wanted to share this with you for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because everyone here and at home has been there for all the wonderful moments, the engagements, the weddings and the babies, for all of us. It just seemed right to share this with you too.
“Many of you have been in similar or much worse situations and have come out stronger… and more resilient. That’s exactly what I plan to do.”
Edwina said the other reason she wanted to share her sad news was because she wanted to encourage others to prioritize their health as well.
“Please, especially moms who are always taking care of others, take care of yourself too. And consult your doctor,” she said.
The Seven star found out about her shock diagnosis in July and kept it a secret, telling only a few friends at work.
She thanked all of her castmates for their support, singling out Natalie in particular “for constantly checking in and (providing) all the meals as well.”
Edwina then nodded towards her colleagues Monique Wright and Sally Bowrey “who change their family commitments so I can look after mine.”
After thanking her bosses at Sunrise, Edwina revealed to viewers that she will be “taking some time off in September” before scaling back her work at Sunrise.
Edwina added that going about her typical daily tasks with her family helped her remember the simple joys of life amid this difficult time.
The former Dancing With The Stars co-host said she will reduce her work responsibilities to just a few days a week on Sunrise when she returns.
According to Mayo Clinic, CML is a rare type of bone marrow cancer and progresses very slowly.
Various symptoms may occur, such as bone pain, fatigue, fever, weight loss, blurred vision, and loss of appetite, among others.
Edwina revealed that she suffered from very few of these symptoms, the main one being fatigue, which she attributed to waking up at 3am every day to go to work.
Advances in treatment have improved the prognosis for people with CML and most people diagnosed with the disease can achieve remission and live for many years.
The veteran Seven star has children Molly, four, and Thomas, two, with her husband of six years, Neil Varcoe.
