A former journalist, Daron Jacks from Woodend is not used to being on the other side of the table.
But the 48-year-old knows the power of telling a story to inspire others to act, because after being diagnosed with and treated for stage three bowel cancer, he thinks it’s vital people take notice of their bodies.
This month is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month – also known as bowel, colon or rectal cancer – and it’s the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Australia.
His symptoms, excessive weight loss, stomach cramps, lots of visits to the dunny and blood in his stools, were easy to palm off because he was fit, young and enjoyed a beer.
“The symptoms are there, and they’re easily dismissed,” Mr Jacks said.
“I found every excuse in the world as to why things were going wrong, but then I looked back and thought I had signs five years before.
“I just put it aside and went, nah, it’ll never happen to me,” he said.
Three months before finally getting a colonoscopy that confirmed his diagnosis, which had been delayed due to lockdowns, he had been misdiagnosed with anxiety.
It was his wife, Nicole, who kept urging him to seek medical advice.
“I was being a typical bloke… if it wasn’t for her I don’t know how far I would have pushed this out before I got help,” Mr Jacks said.
A new RESOLUTE clinical trial could help deal with the backlog of cancer diagnoses, put off by the pandemic – Jacks, who underwent another type of trial, wants people to get involved.
“If no one’s doing [trials], we’ll never get closer to a cure,” he said.
Led by Australian researchers and experts from the GI Cancer Institute, Zoom-style tele-trials will be added to the RESOLUTE trial, recruiting patients from metropolitan and regional hospitals.
Associate Professor and RESOLUTE principal investigator Jeanne Tie said the study plans to recruit 75 advanced bowel cancer patients to gather evidence to reduce death and discomfort from the disease.
“For patients like Daron, Colorectal Awareness Month is a time they share their stories in the hope that more Australians will seek the vital early diagnosis and testing that can save lives,” Ms Ties said.
Mr Jacks, a father of three teenage girls, said his experience made him want to “grab the chance to do things”.
As a keen player for the Woodend-Hesket Masters Football Club, he said fear of missing out, or FOMO, was one of the hardest things to navigate.
“Last year, when they played and I couldn’t play, that was just horrendous,” Mr Jacks said.
“My last game I played, I had a port still in my chest and it was probably taking a risk, but my wife just looked at me and said, ‘For god’s sake, go and have a kick’.”
He said telling his story inspired people in his life to go and get tested, and they felt lucky they did it.
“If it can happen to me, it can happen to you – it’s an old cliche,” Mr Jacks said.
“You just don’t want to go through this.”
Details: gicancer.org.au
