Actress Lynne Hazelden is known around the world as a fighter pilot in Star Wars.
But intergalactic combat is nothing compared to the real life battle she has fought over the past ten years.
The 52-year-old, from Lancing, played Rebel Alliance pilot Karie Neth in Return of the Jedi and even has her own collectors’ card.
After regular roles in everything from Holby City to The Bill to Judge John Deed her career has been almost permanently put on hold since an aggressive breast cancer returned last year.
Ms Hazelden also has such a rare set of allergies that she has rejected traditional chemotherapy because she says it will kill her.
She is now desperately trying to raise funds for treatment in Israel that she hopes will save her life.
In the 1990s, Ms Hazelden discovered she was allergic to the mercury in amalgam fillings.
Such was the severity of her allergy that she said doctors told her there had only been 50 proven cases in the past 100 years.
It left her so tired she could barely move for three years.
Surgery
She ended up with all-over body sores, a loss of short-term memory and underwent surgery on her bladder and tear ducts.
Then in 2010 she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
After a mastectomy, the cancer returned a year later and was found in her lymph glands.
The actress said her long line of health issues has left her fighting to regain her identity.
She said: “I have lost my life. I have been alone for most of the past ten years.
"I can’t have a relationship. I am asleep most of the time.
“I don’t really have a life. I have no self-worth. And the hardest thing has been dealing with people who have disbelieved it.
“I couldn’t call myself a woman or an actress.”
Ms Hazelden lives with her cat Lucky, who also was treated for cancer.
In January, through the help of her friends she raised enough money to undergo targeted chemotherapy at the International Centre for Cell Therapy and Cancer Immunotherapy in Tel Aviv.
The treatment, which is not widely available in the UK, targets the cancerous cells while sparing healthy ones.
She is now trying to raise a further £100,000 to pay for treatment in Israel where doctors will try and boost her immune system using vaccinations.
She said: “I know I would not survive (traditional chemotherapy). I am a very proud person and I thought there must be a way of going back to work.
"I never imagined at the time I would still be dealing with (the allergies).”
Once-in-a-lifetime film memorabilia will be auctioned on Sunday, March 25 to raise money for Ms Hazelden.
Original storyboards from Harry Potter will go under the hammer alongside storyboards from Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark and a real Wonka chocolate bar from the Johnny Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Chewbacca and a Stormtrooper will make a special appearance at the Brunswick Pub in Holland Road, Hove, between 6pm and 9pm.
Mike Lindup, from Level 42, is also due to perform as is Worthing alto Heather Cairncross.
Go to www.justgiving.com/lynne-hazelden or www.yestolife.org.uk
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