Ben's Bowel Cancer Battle

A note from Deb....

Ben is an amazing son, brother, partner, friend and most importantly a brilliant Dad to Grace and Ryan.

I’m writing this to share with friends within our adult circle of support, and with the hope that this won't be shared beyond that, to spare our kids from the additional worries that lie ahead.

Last September Ben was given a heartbreaking diagnosis that changed all of our lives overnight.

After several GP visits, Ben at 44 years of age had mild symptoms that were misdiagnosed multiple times. When symptoms did not disappear, advanced colorectal cancer was finally diagnosed.

We were sent straight to a specialist within 24 hours of diagnosis due to the severity and size of the tumour. Soon after, we learned that the cancer had spread to other areas, such as the lymph nodes.

It was decided the best road would be to hit the cancer hard with some gruelling months of chemotherapy and radiation. The 6 weeks over Christmas were the hardest, doubling up the chemo with radiation.

The treatments have taken their toll on all of us as a family and on Ben's general health.

All of the treatments, including multiple MRI’s, CT’s, specialist visits and radiation have become large out of pocket expenses, that continue to mount up.

The past six months have been without doubt the hardest of our lives. Sadly, due to the severity of the diagnosis and what lies ahead, there are no easy months in sight yet.

Ben’s journey continues with a large surgery in the coming months that will see him in ICU and bed-ridden for months, with the hope to remove everything they can of the tumour along with a large portion of his bowel. They will then turn their attention to other areas where the cancer has spread.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to make things a bit easier, on Ben, first and foremost, to relieve the stress of trying to juggle work while healing and recovering. And on the kids, whose worries continue to intensify despite our best efforts to conceal the worst of it. The reality is, the loss of a primary income in a family becomes harder to ignore with every day that passes, even as we do our best not to mention the C-word.

Ben is the last person that would ever ask for help. What I now know, is that bowel cancer is the third most common cancer affecting Australians. We are mindful that we are not struggling alone. We would really like to use this platform to provide friends and family who want to assist, and who have the means to assist, with the avenue to do so at a time when we need it most. We also want to raise awareness for bowel cancer and the incredible work of Bowel Cancer Australia. This cancer can develop with no symptoms. It is more common in people over 50, but more people at younger ages are being diagnosed. From our experience so far, we have learnt that it changes your life overnight, and you need your family and friends more than ever.

Whilst this Go Fund Me page is designed to provide an avenue for our friends and community to support Ben, Grace, Ryan and I as we navigate our way through this battle, it is also a reminder that cancer is a cause worth shining the spotlight on and donating to. I want to thank everyone who gives to this fundraising effort, honestly, the support of our family, friends and amazing community is making a heavy load feel lighter.

I also want to remind those moved by this issue and wanting to donate to the fight against bowel cancer more holistically, that Bowel Cancer Australia is leading amazing work at the forefront of the fight against this awful disease, and you can donate to advance these efforts at Bowel Cancer Australia - Awareness, Support & Research

Finally, I’d like to thank my friends for encouraging us to reach out, it’s not an easy thing to do, but nothing about this time is easy. Sincerely, thank you, and I hope we can share news that this frightening time is behind us soon.