Brian's Story as a Carer

Before outlining my cancer journey, a brief thumbnail sketch of my life story might be in order. The more recent pages read as follows:

Having been born and raised in one of the coldest parts of Canada, I can assure any reader that when, in the early 70's, my thawed out toes felt and took root in the warm Australian sand, not even a team of huskies was ever going to drag me back to those northern climes!!

The Gods were kind and life enjoyable until the economic downturn of the 90's spawned that familiar but soon to be dreaded word "retrenchment". With a mortgage and school fees that would make a statue sweat, the immediate future suddenly took on a bleak and concerning edge. However, surprisingly, the shock of unemployment after thirty-five years of continuous work was sufficient to produce a productive self-assessment of "quality versus quantity" and my historic "treadmill' lifestyle. Thankfully, the benefits of this life refocus were achieved at a cost of only a few less "acorns" in the bank rather than, as with many cancer patients, the shock of a cancer scare or diagnosis. With hindsight, the three years before my return to full time employment turned out to be one of the most rewarding and therapeutic periods in my life. It was during this phase that time availability allowed my introduction to Cansupport.

My cancer "Carer" story commences as far back as those ancient times of the 40's and 50's when, as a young person, a much loved grandfather succumbed to this disease and, in the immediate aftermath, our family endured the trauma and apprehension of a father's diagnosis and operation for throat cancer. Be it the surgeon's skill or the patient's resolve, the outcome was positive with main character living to a ripe old age despite his refusal to give up his smoking habit.

The sharing of a father-in-law's encounter with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and a mother-in-law's successful battle with colon cancer as well as my exposure to the pragmatism and acceptance of a favourite uncle suffering from lung cancer have all contributed to an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses that this disease can bring out in us humans. The harder and more cruel edge of this non-discriminating illness has been more evident in the recent past. A 27 year old nephew with Ewings Sarcoma; and a good friend, who was a young wife and mother, endured a long battle with breast cancer.

The courage, humour and selflessness shown by these family and friends who lived with this disease far outweighs the negatives attributed to this life threatening condition. I can only offer feeble thanks in appreciation for the enriching experiences they have passed on to me. It is my hope that my association and training with Cansupport helped in some small way with their ordeal.

The knowledge gained through Cansupport and through my association with my co-volunteers, both patients and carers, has given me the ability to help others either directly through Cansupport or in the wider community. I am grateful for having been given this ability to be of assistance and look forward to continuing to reap the benefits of my association with this important hospital and community service.