Survivor’s Jennifer Lyon and the inside story

Yesterday, we brought you the very sad news about “Survivor: Palau” contestant Jennifer Lyon, and how she had passed away recently after losing her battle with cancer. And now, we will take a look back at the memory of Jenn Lyon.

While competing on the show back in 2005, the blond and beautiful nanny Jennifer used all her wit and engaging demeanor, to survive 37 out of the 39 days and finished in fourth place. She may not have won the big prize, but she won friendship.

Following the May 2005 finale, Jennifer endured a five-year battle with breast cancer – a hard-fought battle that very sadly ended on Tuesday, when she died at the age of 37. Fellow contestant Ian Rosenberger said that she had been so brave.

According to an inside story report at people.com, it all started in the summer of 2004, when Jennifer felt something in her right breast. But at the time, she thought that it may just have been scar tissue, from breast implants that she had had done.

She left it quite a long time to get it checked out and by August of 2005, she was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Later that month, she had a 5-hour modified radical bilateral mastectomy. A few weeks later, Lyon underwent breast reconstruction.

Jennifer then endured months of chemotherapy. For a year and half after having drug therapy following the chemotherapy, she appeared to be progressing. But when her blood levels changed, she had scans and was told she had cancer in her bone.

It was only ten days before her death, that her friends and family surrounded Lyon at the “Survivor” 10-year anniversary party in Los Angeles. Host Jeff Probst said that she looked absolutely stunning that night but says that Jennifer was always beautiful.