12:00a.m. 11th October 2008

| By Blythe Seinor

National Breast Cancer Foundation chairwoman Ros Kelly was on the Sunshine Coast last night to see the Point Cartwright Lighthouse basking in pink. Photo: Warren Lynam/178793

“Sit down, I have something to tell you.”

It has been seven years since Ros Kelly said those words to her 16-year-old son, just before breaking the news to him that she had breast cancer.

The former federal minister for sport and the environment said she never could have guessed what her son would reply.

“He got a smile and said, ‘Oh mum, I thought you and daddy were breaking up',” she said. “He had no comprehension of it, and that kept me well grounded.”

Being diagnosed with cancer was “the most scary experience you could ever imagine”.

“It makes you conscious of your mortality, which in our daily lives is something we don’t think about,” she said.

Ms Kelly has fully recovered and splits her time between her role as chair for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, her position on the board of Thiess Services, and her farm.

She was on the Sunshine Coast last night to see the Point Cartwright Lighthouse basking in pink, as part of the Global Illumination for breast cancer.

Thirteen Australian cities will take part in the initiative this month.

Ms Kelly said she chose to become involved with the foundation after her diagnosis because she believed she could use her experience in politics to help raise money, which in turn might help to find a cure.

“I feel I’m still able to use the best side of politics without having to get involved with the worst,” she said.

The illumination was followed by a cocktail party at the Mooloolaba Surf Club.