SURVIVOR'S JENNIFER LYON DIES OF CANCER

Survivor Cast Tom Westman With Stephanie LaGrossa, Ian Rosenberger, Katie Gallagher, And Jennifer Lyon

That hard-fought struggle to survive for Jennifer Lyon, came to a end on Tuesday, when Lyon died at the age of 37. The contestant on Survivor: Palau, fought a five year battle with cancer. Lyon told PEOPLE in October 2005. "I thought it was probably scar tissue related to my breast implants. It was right along the ridge of the implant, so I let it go, and I let it go for a long time." Asked why she delayed seeing a doctor, Lyon said, "I didn't have insurance, which is a big part of it. And it really wasn't changing much. But a year later, I felt another lump, and then I felt something under my armpit." By Aug. 9, 2005, Lyon was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Her older sister Kim, who was also a nanny, found her a surgeon, Dr. Kristi M. Pado, who performed a 5-hour modified radical bilateral mastectomy later that month. A few weeks after that, Lyon underwent breast reconstruction surgery. "It was a huge boost to my spirit," she told the magazine.
Photo By: Walter McBride/Retna