Megan Gale has revealed that her late father, Alan died from asbestos-related cancer.
Opening up for the first time about the sensitive matter, the 41-year-old model told The Herald Sun that her dad’s passing two years ago – along with the death of her husband, Shaun Hampson’s father – coincided with the birth of their son, River, making 2014 a ‘bittersweet year’.
And in an emotional Instagram post, Megan has urged people to ‘stay on top of their health’ after revealing doctors had ‘overlooked some early signs of the illness’ when giving Alan a premature all-clear.
‘After having friends of his succumb to asbestosis, he was diligent about check ups regarding this disease and he was even given the all clear at his final check up before he was diagnosed,’ Megan wrote – explaining that besides a slight pulling pain in his rib cage, her father had felt perfectly healthy.
‘He went to get it checked out (after some nagging from myself and Mum) and it was then that he was told he had stage 4 lung cancer.
‘I definitely don’t want to panic people into thinking they could have a terminal disease, however I do want to take this opportunity to encourage people to listen to their bodies, don’t dismiss or delay any visits to the doctor (perhaps even get a second opinion) and stay on top of your health because being healthy is such a wonderful gift that we often take for granted,’ she continued.
Megan and Shaun also revealed to The Herald Sun how Shaun’s dad, Tom also passed away in April 2014 following a five-year battle with prostate cancer.
The couple are both ambassadors for Movember – a campaign which helps the fight against prostate and testicular cancer and tackles men’s mental health issues.
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