Former Home and Away star Alea O’Shea has opened up about her shock brain cancer diagnosis and the devastating toll of treatment. The 25-year-old, who played Darcy Callahan on the hit soapie, was diagnosed just after her birthday in November last year after experiencing a numb pinky while on a work trip to Los Angeles.
O’Shea initially thought she had pinched a nerve but ended up in hospital with a kidney infection. After seeing her physio, she was told to return to hospital, where a scan found something on her brain. A biopsy later revealed a tumour in the parietal lobe of the right side of her brain. An MRI then discovered another tumour on the part controlling her left hand, which surgeons could not fully remove due to paralysis risk.
“My surgeon removed as much as they could, and I’ve only lost sensation – not total movement – in the left side of my body,” O’Shea told Body+Soul. She described the toll of treatment, saying, “Some mornings, it feels like I’m waking up in a different body. I’ve gained weight during treatment, and recently my legs have been so swollen that I can’t get out of bed without a cane.”
O’Shea, the youngest of three siblings and only daughter, said seeing the ripple effect on her family was hard. She is part of a cancer support group called Brain Cancer Baddies and has started a non-profit, CEARE, to fund bonded wigs for cancer patients across Australia. Despite the challenges, she remains focused on feeling healthy and happy, spending time with loved ones, and creating memories.
