Former Home and Away Star Alea O’Shea opens up about devastating cancer battle

Former Home And Away actress Alea O’Shea has opened up about the devastating toll her brain cancer treatment has taken on her body.

The 25-year-old, who was diagnosed just two months ago, has already undergone brain surgery as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy - revealing that her latest round of treatment has left her with paralysis in her left arm.

In a recent update shared with followers, O’Shea revealed her most recent procedure had resulted in complete loss of movement on the left side of her body.

She also documented her hair loss journey as part of her ongoing treatment, sharing candid videos across social media.

Speaking to Confidential, she said she was taking things day by day.

“I’m just really riding the waves, which is all you can do,” she said.

She added that being able to control her own workload as a content creator has helped her cope during the most challenging period of her life.

“It’s allowed me to work to my energy levels, listen to my body, and still maintain a strong sense of purpose.”

The former Home and Away actress, who made her screen debut at 12 years old, said she noticed something was wrong about six weeks ago when her smile became uneven and, when talking, it felt harder to get her words out.

It then progressed to losing feeling in two of her fingers, then her wrist and then her toe.

O’Shea, 25, said she thought she had a pinched nerve and went to see a physiotherapist who “immediately realised it was beyond his scope and sent me to have a brain scan and that’s how we found (the cancer)“.

Results from a biopsy on her birthday confirmed the far more sinister cause of her symptoms.

O’Shea is best known for her role as Darcy Callahan on Home and Away, appearing between 2011 and 2014 and then again in 2016 to 2017.

She has also appeared in guest roles in US productions including Kung Fu, So Help Me Todd and Sight Unseen, she played the lead role in the Australian feature film Finally Me and starred in the independent feature Through the Door, according to IMDB.

Despite the scary diagnosis, O’Shea has maintained a sense of humour, giving an update on how the cancer has affected her so far.

“Can I flip you off? No. Thumbs up? No. Or hold things? No,” she joked.

“But the good news is, where it is in my brain isn’t going to affect my personality. I’m still going to be as hilarious and have the gift of the yap.”

O’Shea said doctors warned her before her surgery that she could face losing her hair and paralysis down the left side of her body, “but was playing it by ear”.

“So in the coming months, I might be doing videos one-handed, I might disappear when I need to, but mostly I’m going to be showing up as me every single day that I can. I am genuinely so blessed to be so well supported, independent and, like, able to keep doing what I love throughout this fight,” she said.

Despite the challenges ahead, O’Shea said she feels genuinely “blessed” to be surrounded by love and support and thanked her followers for staying with her through the journey.

“To everyone who follows me and has been invested in my journey thus far regardless thank you so much for being here and thank you for staying though this chapter