- Talkback star opens up about granddaughter’s cancer battle
- First revealed the shocking blow to his family last month
Radio shock jock Ray Hadley has recounted his heartbreaking hospital visit as his three-year-old granddaughter Lola, who is fighting life-threatening cancer.
The veteran broadcaster revealed last month that the second child of his daughter Laura and her husband Brad Clark had been diagnosed with leukaemia just days into the new year.
Hadley was appearing on the Fox Sports footy show NRL 360 on Monday evening when he gave an update on how Lola is going with her treatment at Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital.
He was especially raw when he described how he is dealing with the massive blow to the family.
‘[I am] struggling,’ he told hosts and footy greats Braith Anasta and Gorden Tallis.
‘I spent Saturday with Lola and you don’t want to show any weakness in front of a little girl so I went to the bathroom a couple of times and shed a tear, and she said really funny things and happy things.
Former talkback star Ray Hadley has opened up about his granddaughter’s cancer battle
Hadley says he often cries while visiting three-year-old Lola (pictured together) in hospital
‘So yeah, I struggle a bit, and when the doctor came and gave some good news on Saturday, the oncologist, I started to well up and my daughter looked across at the doctor and said, “Dad cries a lot, don’t worry about him.”
‘There are people out there watching this who know exactly what position I’m in.’
Hadley said his daughter is doing a great job in such a difficult situation.
‘You learn a lot about people when they face adversity and I knew my daughter Laura, my eldest, was a really good mother – she’s got three little girls, Ava, Lolly (Lola) and little Remy, but my admiration has grown immeasurably over the last two months,’ he said.
The former talkback titan went on to say John Hunter Hospital are giving Lola the best of care during her battle with leukaemia.
‘I’m also aware that every month in Australia 86,000 children and teenagers get diagnosed with some form of cancer, be it leukaemia or something else, so a lot of people are in my family’s position at the moment.
‘Both my son-in-law and daughter have risen to the task, as most parents do. They’re quite special people, obviously.’
The devastating diagnosis came less than a month after Hadley wrapped up his talkback radio career on December 13 after an almost unbeaten two-decade reign as Sydney’s most popular morning radio host.
The veteran broadcaster, who spent two decades as Sydney’s most popular morning radio show host, says his retirement has allowed him to focus all his energy on Lola
At the time, the 70-year-old said he had decided to step away from the microphone to spend more time with his wife, Sophie, four children and seven grandchildren.
While there was nothing to indicate Lola was ill when he made the call, he said he felt fortunate he was now free to pour all his energy into being there for his beloved granddaughter in her time of need.
‘I don’t think I believe in fate … but I think that something must have pre-empted my retirement so that I can do what I’m doing now in relation to my granddaughter and my family,’ he revealed.
‘Because if I was still working, I wouldn’t been able to do it.’
So far that has meant racking up the kilometres during repeated trips from his home just outside Avoca, on the NSW Central Coast, to John Hunter Hospital to be by her side.
‘I got a new car, which has done 6000km in six weeks. A lot of travelling up and down the coast,’ he said.
