By Nicole Williams
SOME people could say Gervais Serret is down on his luck … but not with friends like Katarina Jakovljevic.
Katarina had always wanted to write a children’s book and some devastating news spurred her into action – 37-year-old Gervais had adrenocortical carcinoma, an extremely rare and aggressive cancer.
Her book ‘Gevi the Wombat’ is about a young, chubby and cocky wombat with a wild imagination, which is based on the Australia Post worker and his cancer experience.
“I have always wanted to write a children’s book and I told Gervais that I liked his character and so I thought I’d put him my book,” Katarina said.
“The idea was born in January and in April he was diagnosed with cancer.”
“When I found out he had cancer, it was distressing news that I was not willing to accept.
“I felt more impacted than others because he was very supportive of me when I was unwell.”
Katarina and Gervais were colleagues at Australia Post’s Dandenong Letters Centre until Gervais received the diagnosis.
After a seven-hour marathon surgery at Monash Medical Centre, he was sent home and has since been having radiation treatment to make him comfortable.
About four weeks after Gervais’ surgery his daughter was also diagnosed with cancer but after three surgeries, she is now in the clear. Katarina said it was a second blow, but the family man had a strong character.
“He is someone who laughs a lot and has a good sense of humour,” she said.
“He’ll often say ‘it’s all right mate. I have to fight this for my kids’. He wants to give himself the best chance.”
“Being a health professional myself, after the surgery I looked into treatment options for him. They exist but they are costly,” Katarina said.
She decided to dedicate the book to Gervais and hopefully raise money for his treatment. The GIVE GEVI Project was born.
Katarina enlisted the help of family and friends with expertise in illustration, layout and production to make her dream of a children’s book and Gervais’ cure come true.
“I thought a good way to reach a wide audience is to do something where the community can get behind us,” she said.
The project has snowballed because researching the illness only made them want to help others – they will soon start a foundation to help with treatment for other adrenocortical carcinoma patients.
A soft version of the book can be viewed online and hard copies are available for pre-purchase – the first 100 copies will be signed by Gervais.
Katarina is also looking for business sponsorship. For more information or to support the cause, visit www.gevithewombat.com.
