At 60, actress Susan Brady has a lot to celebrate. Back treading the boards after a 20-year hiatus from theatre, the talented performer has just completed a sold-out run of At the Wake at Christchurch’s Court Theatre, and is currently rehearsing for a dream role in Auckland Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Cabaret.
What’s more, Susan has recently come out the other side of a very serious illness.
“In 2019, I had a bone marrow biopsy which showed I was not making enough red or white blood cells,” Susan tells Woman’s Weekly.
“I was what the doctors called cytopenic, which meant my bone marrow wasn’t functioning properly. That in turn impacted my immune system and blood production. “My specialists couldn’t say why it had happened, they couldn’t fix it either, and I was told it would likely go in one direction – and it wasn’t a good one.”
Back then, Susan and husband Terence Vallelunga, 50, were living on a rural property in Tarras in Central Otago and the diagnosis meant regular trips to Dunedin Hospital.
“My amazing specialists kept an eye on me for about five years as my health got worse and worse,” she says.
A life-saving transplant
Susan was grateful she still managed to do a little bit of television work during that time, with roles in One Lane Bridge, The Brokenwood Mysteries and Under the Vines, but she had to be very careful to manage her compromised energy levels.
“Then in 2024, my specialist said my condition had developed into a type of blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome.”
Three months after the diagnosis, in January last year, Susan underwent a bone marrow transplant.
“The treatment was extreme, starting with chemotherapy followed by the transplant,” she recalls.
“That only took 40 minutes and it ultimately saved my life.”
Susan is eternally grateful to her donor.
“To think this total stranger from Europe was a 98 percent match, whereas my sisters were not, and while you can’t thank your donor in person, I wrote him a letter from my heart because I will never forget his generosity,” she says.
Her greatest champion
Susan is also thankful for her husband of 18 years.
“Terence is extraordinary, I am so lucky to have him,” she says.
“He makes me laugh all the time. He challenges me to be a better version of myself. He is my greatest champion, and he took wonderful care of me throughout those long months of treatment and hospitalisation. This thing didn’t just happen to me – it happened to both of us.”
Now Susan is radiating good health.
“I did do a bit of woo woo work on myself,” she smiles.
“Like talking to my immune system, telling it not to freak out and to trust the process. I am now part-science and part-magic – not only do I have two sets of DNA inside me, but my blood type has changed from O to B!”
As for the care she received during treatment and recovery, Susan has nothing but gratitude for Christchurch Hospital and respite care centre Rānui House.
“It’s run almost 100 percent by volunteers. It’s always at capacity and we were there for close to three months. I always say to people, if they can help Rānui House keep up the good work, please donate.”
Back where she belongs
Susan will always find silver linings, no matter how dark the clouds, and now she’s fully recovered, she is over the moon to be acting again.
“I’m so ready to face the world and I feel healthier than I have in years,” she enthuses.
“To be 60 and doing Cabaret, which coincidentally premiered 60 years ago, while my immune system is just one year old!”
Returning to the stage has also reminded Susan that she is an actress.
“That’s who I am and you can’t ever switch that off,” she says.
“Everything feels new and amazing, and I am so blessed to be playing these dream roles!”
Cabaret is on at The ASB Waterfront Theatre from September 22 to October 18. See atc.co.nz for tickets.
To donate blood or bone marrow, visit nzblood.co.nz.
To donate to Rānui House, see bmct.org.nz.
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