Hi everyone, my name is Tanya and I'm starting this GoFundMe on behalf of our good friend, Wayne and his wife, Kym and their 4 children.

For those of you who don't know Wayne's story (known as Reidy) , let me tell you about his journey over the last 18 months that has bought us to this moment.

In August 2024, Wayne started to have severe headaches which wouldn't go away. A visit to the emergency department at Royal Darwin Hospital early September would forever change his life. Wayne was diagnosed with a brain tumour called a Glioblastoma, a very aggressive Grade 4 cancer that is terminal and has no known cure. He was given the prognosis of a life expectancy of 6 - 18 months which was gut wrenching to say the least. It was the size of a golf ball and it was situated in the left frontal lobe of his brain.

3 days later, he had emergency brain surgery to remove most of the tumour and pressure on his brain to save his life. They were unable to remove the entire tumour due to the size and location of it. Even though Wayne was very ill in the Intensive Care Unit, he amazed his team by being sent to the ward within 1 day. 2 days later, he had a complication where he developed a large blood clot in the drainage blood vessels in his brain which was so severe and he was sent on an emergency Careflight plane to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for 2 weeks.

During his time in ICU, he remained very positive and was determined to fight this cruel disease. He unfortunately had another setback and developed a blood infection which extended his stay and delayed the commencement of his radiation and oncology treatment. This created so much anxiety for Wayne and his family and he had to endure weeks of antibiotics.

He was able to return to Darwin and start his oncology treatment in November, 2024. This was daily radiotherapy sessions for 6 weeks as well as chemotherapy which caused him to be very fatigued. He still kept on smiling and had the typical Wayne positive attitude. He would always say, "It is what it is, lets do this! What is the next step?"

Every week he always asked his Oncologist if there were any new drugs or treatments available and she was able to find some trial options. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for a Glioblastoma and there has not been any changes to the available options for over 20 years due to lack of funding and research.

He was determined to help forge the future for others who are diagnosed with brain cancer and approached the trial teams to see if he was a candidate that was suitable.

He endured many continuous tests including blood and MRI's, had many interviews with health professionals and eventually was accepted into a trial which was based in Brisbane. This took him and Kym away from their children for many weeks at a time which was very difficult but it was so very important to Wayne. He wanted to try and extend his life and slow down the progression of the disease to the best of his ability with the help of his incredible medical team.

In May 2025, Wayne started to experience changes and a new MRI showed that his tumour had grown significantly. There was a large amount of swelling which had started to create a mass effect in the brain which means that it was displacing and compressing his brain. He was unable to articulate words and sentences.

He underwent a second brain surgery in Brisbane in June 2025 which created so much anxiety and worry for Wayne and his family, even though he knew that he had no choice. This time it went smoother than his first surgery. He surprised his medical team again and was out of hospital in 3 days!

He continues his 4 weekly chemotherapy treatment and also started Immunotherapy infusions as a supplement treatment to again try and slow down the disease progression. This treatment is not listed on the Medicare PBS schedule so they are paying for these infusions using their own funds which costs ~$3500 every 3 weeks. He is unable to get this treatment in his home town of Darwin hence Wayne and Kym fly to Brisbane every 2 weeks and stay with Craig and myself for a week on a continual basis which is exhausting for them both. Wayne just continues to smile and has remained positive the whole time.

Kym has been Wayne's carer who needs to be with him always during his surgery, continued medical appointments, treatment sessions and is unable to work in her role as a Radiographer at Royal Darwin Hospital. The effect that brain cancer has on Wayne is not visible to people but has a very real and intense effect on his feelings (or lack of), his ability to communicate and it is coupled with personality changes which include confusion, apathy, irritability and frustration. He is no longer able to drive a vehicle. His short term memory is suffering and needs constant reminders of daily appointments and events. This is causing further undue stress and their combined income has been reduced to an amount where they are eating away at their savings to pay bills and keep ahead. They still both do this with continued smiles, love and determination.

Wayne will never be able to return to his career with Santos .

Wayne is a family man and they mean the world to him.

His devotion to them has never wavered and he is struggling with the fact that he is unable to provide for them.

The thought that he may not be around to be at his children's weddings or to meet his future grandchildren is just heart breaking.

He is unable to participate in the activities that he loves so much like fishing and it is incredibly difficult for him to adjust to these life long changes that are slipping further away from him.

I am setting up this GoFundMe to assist Wayne and Kym to help them with mounting costs and to alleviate stress. They include medical & supplement costs, bills & mortgage expenses as well as day to day living whilst travelling between Darwin and Brisbane so frequently.

Thank you for all your continued love and support on this difficult journey for Wayne and his family. They continue to face all upcoming challenges one day at a time and have done this with continued optimism and determination for Wayne to be here with his loved ones for as long as possible. He has shown courage and strength and will continue to do so as its the only way Wayne knows how to live and enjoy his life.