By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Nothing will stop Lynbrook husband and dad Brad Scicluna from running.
In fact, the 41-year-old engineer at Dandenong bus manufacturer Volgren believes that exercise has been a tonic after a devastating diagnosis of stage-4 gall bladder cancer a year ago.
It’s a rare cancer that means Mr Scicluna is without any PBS-listed treatment options such as immunology. He discovered that not all cancers are equal.
There’s a potentially life-extending medication Herceptin that is available on the PBS for breast cancer patients but not gall bladder cancer, Mr Scicluna says.
The treatment cost would be a prohibitive $70,000 a year.
A specialist told him “the more money you have the longer you live.”
It’s a form of discrimination that Mr Scicluna is challenging.
He’s put his name to a National Oncology Alliance campaign on behalf of more than 6000 Australians with cancer without PBS-listed medications.
He will be attending a Canforum in Canberra in September, in the hope of putting his case to Health Minister Greg Hunt.
Before June 2017, Mr Scicluna – a non-smoker, light drinker and avid runner – had rarely seen the inside of a hospital.
He complained to a doctor of a sore back while he was boundary umpiring in the Casey Cardinia Football League. It was discovered that he had cancer that had spread to his lower vertebrae.
Since months of chemo and radiotherapy, Mr Scicluna’s condition has fortunately stabilised. He has had no treatment for two months and run well past his expiry date – at least the one that doctors expected.
And continued running about six kilometres a day, with a view to running 10 kilometres at the Melbourne Marathon in October.
“It’s a bit of a miracle,” Mr Scicluna said.
“The oncologist has only seen one other case like me. You wouldn’t know there was anything wrong with me.”
Mr Scicluna believes exercise helped ward off the side-effects of chemo and radiotherapy. He’d work out for 30 minutes before chemo, and for 30 minutes after.
He’s still worked – but wound it back to 40 hours a week, cut out sugars in a healthy-eating regime, and taken family holidays with wife Catherine and daughters Olivia and Charlotte.
In September, Brad and Catherine will renew their vows.
The family had cancelled a dream trip to Hawaii and then Disneyland due to Mr Scicluna being unable to get travel insurance.
“We just should have done it earlier,” Ms Scicluna said.
“People should just do things – don’t put them off.
“We shouldn’t have regrets.”
The family however took a chance and went holidaying in Fiji.
“I just enjoy every single day, and enjoy life,” Mr Scicluna said.
“Just don’t take it for granted.”
