Lachlan M, Decembeard

“I felt my delayed response came from a sense of disbelief round the fact that my wife has bowel cancer.  At the age of 47, this wasn’t on the cards. Her signs and symptoms had more of a dietary bent, and this was what the team had gone in to confirm. Of the 8+ metres of bowel to look at, 13mm from the start (or is that the end?), they find a 7cm cancer in the lower rectum. Its location means that surgery is life-changing. Period. There is no reconnecting, no do-overs.  Our oncologist has held our hand as we tackle a non-surgical approach first.

Dianah, part of my life for 25 years and my wife for 19 of those, has marked off 25 doses of radiation with chemo tables and has one more round of IV chemo remaining. After this we consult with the cancer centre to see if it has done the job. Fingers crossed, If not, it is still curable, and we go on for another 25 years.

My fundraising for this was lazy. I just didn’t shave for 31 days…  but I had a conversation starter and asked my village to support. Village, I hear you say. You can’t do it on your own; it takes a village.

My words are basic and don’t always flow. Happy to reach out and work on this.

Attached should be a couple of couple shots and my glittery beard for Christmas Eve.” ~ Lachy

Thank you to Lachy for sharing his story and participating in our 2024 Decembeard campaign!
Head to our website to find out how you too can help make real change happen by raising much-needed funds for Bowel Cancer Australia.