Melanie Verwoerd

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‘Gerry Ryan is still the love of my life’ — Melanie Verwoerd opens up about the cancer scare and radical surgery that forced her to confront the past

Melanie Verwoerd photographed in her home city of Cape Town. Picture by David Bloomer

Article by Liadan Hynes for Independent.ie

Melanie Verwoerd was in hospital for a routine gynaecological check-up in the summer of 2021 when her doctor suddenly went silent. Looking intently at the screen, her voice grew serious as she asked: “Oh, what do we have here?”

After a cancer scare and radical surgery, Melanie Verwoerd tells Liadán Hynes about her anger with medical misogny, a journey to confront her past, and why Gerry Ryan is still the love of her life

The doctor turned to Melanie and hold her she’d need to go for a blood test immediately. What had started out as a routine medical appointment had suddenly taken a dark turn. The doctor had seen some- thing on the ovarian ultrasound that war- ranted further investigation…