Help Jim Close and the family in the fight with Stage 4 cancer

Jim and his family have spent years caring for others and navigating life’s toughest storms. Now, they need your help as Jim courageously fights Stage 4 cancer.

A devoted husband, father, friend, and accomplished sportsman, Jim is facing the fight of his life - just when his family thought they had made it through the worst.

For nearly a decade, they have endured more than most: job loss from covid, living on a boat to stay afloat, years devoted to caring for dying parents, bushfires, international border separations in covid. Through it all, they have shown quiet strength and resilience.

Jim is no stranger to endurance. As a professional yachtsman, he has raced around the world five times, sailing over 200,000 nautical miles and provided so much to sailing. But this is the toughest battle he has ever faced.

In early 2024, just six weeks after completing a double-handed Sydney to Hobart, Jim was diagnosed with Stage 3 gastro-oesophageal cancer. He underwent months of aggressive chemotherapy and major surgeries, with Julie by his side as his full-time carer. Despite everything, there was hope.

Then, on March 10, 2026, that hope was shattered. The cancer had returned - now Stage 4 and spreading.

Jim has not been able to work, and Julie continues to care for him full-time. Their two sons, Harry and Riley, have shown incredible courage through years of uncertainty - but the road ahead is daunting.

This family has always been the first to show up for others. Now it’s our turn to show up for them.

Jim has begun systemic therapy, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and the financial strain is significant. Your support will help fund:

• Alternative, unfunded treatments & costs associated with this

• Specialised supplements and medication

• Enhanced palliative care to manage Stage 4 side effects

Most importantly, it will allow Julie to remain by Jim’s side as his primary carer and give Harry and Riley the space to focus on being with their dad.

This page has been created by friends on behalf of Jim, Julie, and their boys - who are humble and rarely ask for help.

If you are able to donate, thank you - every contribution makes a real difference. If not, sharing this page would mean just as much.