Diem Brown, the star of MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge, had thought she triumphed over ovarian cancer six years ago. Having one ovary removed in 2006, the athletic blonde competed on the Fresh Meat Challenge, then endured seven months of chemotherapy before going into remission.
"My doctors said there was no way it would come back," Brown, 30, tells the new issue of Us Weekly in an exclusive interview. Yet, this month, the bubbly Atlanta native received the devastating news that her disease had returned in her one remaining ovary.
PHOTOS: Celebrity health scares
"I got a call from the same doctor I had six years ago and he said those same words," Brown -- who founded MedGift, a charity that works like a wedding registry, allowing donors to help patients pay for treatments -- recalls. "They're just as devastating: 'Sorry to tell you, but you have cancer.' It's like a whole rush rushes over you and you're so numb. I'd been there, done that -- I thought I was over it."
Diem Brown
Credit: Scott Kirkland/PictureGroup
Eager to have a child one day, Brown intends to harvest her eggs before undergoing surgery June 25 to remove her ovary. Aware that the hormone treatments she'll recieve prior to the harvesting procedure could cause her cancer to spread, Brown remains hopeful. "Chances of success [with harvesting] are small, but I have faith," she says. "I just want a sliver of hope in some dang freezer that I could have a munchkin! But if it's God's plan for me to adopt, I'll do that."
VIDEO: Watch Diem compete on MTV's The Challenge
For much more from Brown -- including how she vows to remain positive during her fight, which includes chemotherapy in July -- watch the exclusive video above now!
