Sisters Linda and Anne Nolan, members of the famous Irish pop group The Nolans, have disclosed that they are both undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer during the coronavirus lockdown. The pair announced the news on their Twitter account, revealing that they received their diagnoses around the same time in May.
Linda, 61, is battling liver cancer, her third recurrence of the disease. She was initially diagnosed with secondary terminal breast cancer in 2017. Anne's breast cancer is stage three, the most serious being stage four. The sisters underwent a round of chemotherapy together in June at Blackpool's Victoria Hospital.
Linda described telling their siblings about the dual diagnoses: 'We laughed and we cried really. It's hysterical. Forget the Chemical Brothers, we've become the Chemo Sisters.' She recounted receiving the news: 'On 7 May our sister Maureen called me at 10am to say that Anne's breast cancer had been confirmed. Then half an hour later my oncologist's secretary phoned me to say, 'We need you to have an MRI scan because we've seen something on your liver'. I couldn't tell anyone then because they were so obviously devastated about Anne.'
The sisters are each undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy and have lost their hair after early treatments. Linda said: 'How you look is part of showbiz and everybody gets labelled. I was blonde with the big boobs. So cancer has taken that away from me.' She added that she has asked doctors about her life expectancy: 'As long as the treatment is there and I can have it and I respond well to it I might be around for another 15, 20 years, hopefully.'
The pair said lockdown and the fear of catching coronavirus due to suppressed immunity had made the situation more difficult. Anne expressed sadness at not being able to see her daughters and grandchildren: 'I've not touched them, I've not been able to hug them or kiss them. And I think that's what makes me more sad than anything.'
The Nolans had a string of hits including 'I'm in the Mood for Dancing' and 'Don't Make Waves'. Linda first had breast cancer in 2006, followed by cellulitis and lymphoedema in 2007, and secondary cancer on her pelvis in 2017.
