A top cancer center has confirmed it treated former Neighbors star Kate Keltie for stage four breast cancer last year after former co-stars asked her to share her incredible story.
Ms Keltie – who played Michelle Scully in the 1999 soap as the on-screen sister to Holly Valance’s character Flick Scully – revealed last November that she had been diagnosed with the disease.
Fans raised more than $37,000 in a GoFundMe appeal to help the 37-year-old battle the deadly disease.
But just four months later, she delighted them with the “incredible” news that she had recovered, but declined requests to share her story.
Neighborhood star Kate Keltie, 37, (pictured) revealed she was diagnosed with the disease last November, and fans helped her raise $37,000 through a GoFundMe appeal
Kate Keltie – who played Michelle Scully (pictured left with her family on screen) in the 1999 soap as sister to Holly Valance’s character Flick Scully (second from right) – had a ‘fantastic reaction’ to her treatment
This prompted former co-stars to call on the actress-turned-recruiting consultant to share her “amazing story of how she beat cancer.”
“It would be really nice to hear a bit more about her story, it’s great,” a Neighbors source told the Daily Mail.
In response to the story, Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Center released a statement confirming that Ms Keltie had been diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer.
“Kate developed breast cancer, which spread to other parts of her body, including her hip bone and lymph nodes,” said Dr. David Speakman, Peter Mac’s chief of medical services.
“Kate has responded wonderfully to her treatment and currently has no metabolically active disease.
“However, she will need ongoing treatment and monitoring to monitor whether her cancer returns,” he said.
Ms. Keltie, who played Michelle Scully for five years from 1999 when she was 13 as the onscreen sister to Holly Valance’s character Flick, shocked fans when she revealed she had the disease last November.
She said it had spread to other parts of her body — including her lymph nodes, blood and hip bones — and required chemotherapy.
Among other things, fans and her former colleagues immediately donated to her fund, which was set up by her cousin financier, Ebony Gilbert.
She appealed to people to donate, writing: “Given the severity of the chemotherapy Kate will need, her oncologist advised that working and keeping her job during this time is not an option. She will lose her beautiful hair and will not be able to bear children in the future.’
Ms. Gilbert set a goal of $25,000 and explained that Ms. Keltie needed the money for rent, food, bills, specialist medical treatment, a regular cleaner, cleaning supplies and wigs, and specialized skin products.
Four months later, friends and family were overjoyed when Ms. Keltie updated her GoFundMe page to say she had “great news to share” that she was now cancer-free.
She wrote, “I recently received the results of my last scan and was told there had been a full metabolic response to diseased areas.
“The past six months have been, to say the least, the most challenging time I’ve ever been through… I couldn’t have done it without all of you. Your support played a major role in my navigation through this terrible time.”
However, Ms. Keltie’s update was later removed from the GoFundMe call, and the fundraiser itself was deactivated and removed from public view last month.
Ms Keltie – who has now given up her showbiz career and works as a recruitment consultant – has not responded to requests to discuss her amazing survival story.
Ms Gilbert’s father – and Ms Keltie’s uncle – Michael Keltie said his daughter’s job as head of digital experience at financial firm Vanguard Australia meant she was too busy to talk.
But he relived the incredible moment when the family heard the good news.
“All I know is that she was eligible for some kind of treatment and got it,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“When she went back with her mom and dad, the doctor said, ‘It’s gone — it’s all gone.’
“They didn’t know what they heard when they heard it. They said, “What do you mean it’s gone?”
Dr. David Speakman (pictured), Peter Mac’s Chief Medical Officer, said: ‘Kate is responding wonderfully to her treatment and currently has no metabolically active disease’
“He said, ‘It’s all gone.’
“So that’s a very positive story what happened to Kate.”
Ms Keltie’s spokesperson said: ‘It’s such a great result for her and her family.’
Ms. Keltie hosted a breast cancer benefit on March 31 with $55 tickets “for an evening of live music, dancing, appetizers and great prizes raffled by our sponsors.”
Participants were asked to dress in pink for the event in Melbourne’s south-east Mordialloc, where “all proceeds will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.”
Ms. Keltie is now the main fundraiser for the Mother’s Day Classic Foundation ahead of the charity drives to be held on Sunday, May 14.