Tammy Faye lost
famed lashes to cancer

Former televangelist says
loss was liberating

Lawrence Lucier / Getty Images file

Tammy Faye Bakker Messner is seen here in a photo from 2002.

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updated 2:52 p.m. ET April 25, 2005

LANCASTER, S.C. - Former televangelist Tammy Faye Messner says losing her trademark eyelashes during her struggle with cancer was a liberating experience.

“I realized I wasn’t just eyelashes,” said Messner, adding that she glued on false ones. “A person is more than just what you look like on the outside.”

Messner was diagnosed with colon cancer nearly a decade ago and last year announced that the disease has spread to her lungs.

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Messner said she cannot say she’s cancer-free and has scans every three months. “Don’t let fear rule your life,” she said. “Live one day at a time, and never be afraid.”

The former Tammy Faye Bakker divorced Jim Bakker in 1992 while he was serving a sentence for financial fraud. The pair founded PTL Ministries and Heritage USA, a Christian retreat.

Messner was a celebrity judge for a beauty pageant where men dressed as women Thursday at Lancaster High School. The event raised money for the American Cancer Society.