Aussie actress and social media star Alea O’Shea has revealed she has been diagnosed with brain cancer.
The former Home and Away star, 25, shared the devastating health update in a video posted to Instagram.
“This is a video I obviously thought I’d never have to make, but I’ve recently been diagnosed with brain cancer,” she said. “It’s been a crazy few weeks.”
O’Shea, who starred as Darcy Callahan on Home and Away between 2011–2014 and then again from 2016–2017, explained that the diagnosis process all began “six weeks ago” when she noticed her “smile was a little uneven and it felt harder to talk”.
Watch the video above.
Alea O’Shea revealed she has been diagnosed with brain cancer. (Instagram/@alea_osheaa)
She also said she “had a few migraines, but nothing scary”.
Later on a trip to Los Angeles, she “lost feeling in two of [her] fingers which then crept into [her] wrist and then [her] toe”, leading her to think she “had a pinched nerve”.
“I went and saw my physio, who I could not be more grateful for, and he immediately realised it was beyond his scope and sent me to get a brain scan,” O’Shea continued.
“And that’s how we found it.”
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O’Shea starred as Darcy Callahan in Home and Away. (Seven Studios)
The actress explained that she had a biopsy on her birthday and had been “in a bit of a limbo” while she waited for results.
But now that she has some clarity she revealed that she wants to be open and honest about her health journey online.
She noticed things were wrong when she noticed her smile was “uneven”. (Instagram/@alea_osheaa)
“I want to life as normally as possible while I’m fighting this,” she vowed.
O’Shea added that where the cancer is located on her brain “isn’t going to affect [her] personality”.
She explained that she will be going into surgery and treatment and she could experience “left side paralysis”.
A physio suggested she get a brain scan which uncovered the cancer. (Instagram/@alea_osheaa)She noted that it’s important for people to advocate for their health. (Getty)
”If there’s one thing I want anyone to takeaway from this video, it’s advocate for yourself,” she added.
“When something feels off, even slightly, pay attention to it and find the right professionals who will take you seriously.”
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