Kerryn McCann Succumbs to Breast Cancer

Kerryn McCann Mark Dadswell/ Getty Images

Kerryn McCann, Australian marathon gold-medalist, has finished her battle with breast cancer. McCann passed away Saturday night at home in Coledale, surrounded by her husband Greg McCann and their three young children. "She fought so hard, Lyn," McCann' husband said, "She was such a fighter." McCann was diagnosed in August 2007 while pregnant with her third child. Her baby, Cooper, now 15 months old, was born 6 weeks early, so she could start aggressive chemotherapy as soon as possible. Despite treatment, the stage 3 breast cancer spread to her liver, but did not affect her courageous spirit. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, "Kerryn McCann was a phenomenon, a mother who took on and conquered the toughest of all athletic events." Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull remembered her this way: "Her performances at the Manchester and Melbourne Commonwealth Games were truly inspiring. No one who watched it will forget the thrilling final three kilometres of the Melbourne marathon . . . Kerryn McCann was an extraordinary athlete and a proud mother."

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