Diem Brown

Photo by Jason Campbell

How this brave 25-year-old is tackling cancer

MTV’s Fresh Meat—the latest installment of the Real World/Road Rules Challenge reality show—is full of tense moments, challenging stunts and steep competition. But 25-year-old contestant Diem Brown is competing against more than just her fellow cast members for a $250,000 prize. She is also battling life-threatening ovarian cancer. Diem recently spoke to Savvy Miss about her life with cancer and her determination to beat it and help others with the same disease.

SM: How did you first find out you had cancer?
Diem Brown: [A year before my diagnosis,] I had a [benign tumor that was attached to one of my ovaries] and I had it removed. A year later, I had a checkup because I was having some pain in my abdomen and that’s when they told me I had cancer. I was alone [when my doctors told me] and those words were hard to listen to. Honestly, when I heard the words cancer and chemo, I thought, ‘Oh my god, is this it? Am I dying?’ I was terrified and I didn’t understand. I’m a vegetarian. I’m a healthy girl. I don’t have a history of cancer in my family. I don’t smoke. I had no idea why I got it or how I got it and I was just really confused.