SECRET CANCER BATTLE

The reality TV stars are ready for anything now Emily's survived a terrifying health crisis

- Hayley Barnett

Auckland siblings and musicians Emily Heeney and Nathan Loo are selfconfessed "superfans" of MKR New Zealand, having seen every episode of every season of the hit reality cooking show.

Emily, 36, tells, "I'd always think, 'Oh, my gosh, I'd love to do that, but I would never actually do it.' Putting myself out there and facing criticism is really daunting for me." However, when the music teacher was diagnosed with deadly endometrial cancer just two years ago, her whole perspective on life changed.

Emily had recently separated from her husband and was a busy single mum to her now-15-year-old daughter Manea when she started getting sick.

She says, "I wasn't paying attention to it because I was focused on my teaching and music, but after about a year, I thought, 'I need to go to the doctor. Something's not right."

When she was diagnosed with stage-one cancer, Emily's whole life began to crumble.

"I was in shock, wondering how it was possible - I was so young!" she recalls.

Trying to navigate the illness during lockdown as a single parent was tough.

"While I was going through all the procedures, Manea was the only person who could visit me in hospital. It was a full role reversal, but there was no other option. She had to grow up really fast."

Even with all the hurdles they faced during her yearlong battle, Emily considers herself very lucky.