BuiltWithNOF

The laughter tumbles out. It's great to hear. By any measuring stick, Belinda Emmett hasn't had a lot to laugh about these past few years.First diagnosed with breast cancer just three days after her 24th birthday in April 1998, Emmett selflessly went public in the hope she could help others. But for the 28-year-old former Home and Away and All Saints regular, the road back to health has been far from easy.

It has also brought more than its share of heartbreak. Given the subsequent all-clear, Emmett set about picking up the pieces of her life. With partner Rove McManus at her side, Emmett's fight back won the hearts of all Australia. A regular role in All Saints and a co-starring gig alongside Eric Bana in the Aussie movie The Nuggett followed. Things looked good until a routine medical check in September last year revealed secondary bone cancer. Shattered but far from broken, Emmett forced herself to remain positive and underwent a further four months of chemotherapy.

On Saturday, 15 months after receiving the devastating diagnosis, Emmett steps in front of the TV cameras to perform in the Seven Network's national telecast of Carols in the Domain. "I'm feeling OK. Really. I'm doing well. I wouldn't be doing Carols if I wasn't," she said

"I'm well enough and getting better all the time. You know me, I'll keep hanging in there."

 The laughter fairly floods over you. The determination in the familiar husky voice reinforces the positive outlook.

There is also a brutal honesty in the assessment of her future. But, then, she has never been one to side-step an issue. "And what happens next year? Well, who knows. It's all a big mystery, really," she said. "I'm just taking each thing as it comes, you know. I'm not planning too much at all. "I'm just seeing how things pan out. "I'm simply enjoying each thing that happens and also enjoying every opportunity I get – like being a part of Carols. "Saturday night is very important to me because I wasn't well enough to be there last year. This year I am and that means a lot to me. It means I'm making progress. I've come along in leaps and bounds in 12 months and that's good."

When the secondary cancer was diagnosed, filming of The Nuggett, in Mudgee, New South Wales, was rescheduled. Aside from the chemotherapy, Emmett combined conventional medicine with a macrobiotic diet, exercise, meditation and the unconditional love of family and friends. While the acting has brought her plenty of national recognition, singing her beloved jazz remains her first love – a passion she inherited from her father. She confesses, however, that the experiences of the past few years have provoked a change in her musical tastes and herself. "You always search for that soundtrack to your life, I think," she said. "I think I've grown a hell of a lot over the last 12 months or so, in every kind of way. You look back and realise how you've changed and how far you've come. You've got a great big mountain to climb up and you keep chip, chip, chipping away."

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