Brad, WA

Brad was diagnosed in 2012 with a pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer that had metastasised in his liver, the initial shock was accompanied by the usual fear and uncertainty that comes with a cancer diagnosis.

“It was devastating. And particularly because it wasn’t just that it was cancer. It was that it was secondaries. And we’d always heard before that if people got secondary cancer, that was there wasn’t much hope”

Brad vividly recounts his symptoms leading to his diagnosis whilst on holiday in Hawaii. Symptoms included an inability to stomach any food or drink, diarrhoea, a hard stomach and back pain. emphasising the isolating nature of the illness.

“I just couldn’t stomach any food and couldn’t drinking alcohol. Everything went straight through me.”

Despite the challenges that NETs brings, Brad and his wife, Selina maintain a positive outlook, embracing the changes in their life.

“The real change to our life was that the diagnosis happened when we were starting to think about having a family. So that’s really the only big thing that, you know, that has that changed the course that we were on.”

With a commitment to staying active and engaged, Brad advocates for the importance of a supportive community and the significance of living life to the fullest.

“I guess something like this makes you realize that life’s short and you have to enjoy it and just get on and do what you want to do and don’t hold back.”