Join us to support patients with cancer and their families
The initial diagnosis was that I wouldn’t make retirement.
But Flinders chucked absolutely everything at it, the kitchen sink and all, and I’m now really hopeful for the future... I owe them for that.
– Neil, patient with prostate cancer
Donate to cancer research and care today
At 45, Neil was fighting fit. A prostate cancer diagnosis was the last thing he ever expected.
"I’ll be honest with you, it wasn't long ago I was planning my own funeral and had begun to compile my own eulogy.
I wrote out the story of my early life and made a playlist of songs. I thought it would be a bit of a laugh and lighten the mood to be farewelled to the Muppets theme song!
That's what you do when you’re 45 years old and find out you have stage 3 locally-advanced prostate cancer.
My enlarged prostate was bulging into my bladder and cancer cells had spread to local lymph nodes.
But today, things are different. I’ve got a positive mindset, I have hope and I’m making plans.
And that’s because of the care I received at Flinders and the advances in medical research that got me to this point. I don’t really want to know where I’d be without that."
Those are the words of Neil, who is being treated for prostate cancer here at Flinders.
Many of us have a deeply personal connection to cancer. Today, we are calling on you again to help improve the lives of patients with cancer at Flinders. Patients just like Neil.
Your generous support will go a long way in helping the dedicated researchers and clinicians at Flinders carry out groundbreaking research, and continue to provide the best care possible to people affected by cancer.
Donate to support cancer research and care todayNeil was a fighting fit 45-year-old.
Originally from the UK, he made the sea change to Australia where he worked long hours (probably too long!) as an electrician, enjoyed trail running in his spare time, and together with wife Jane, was raising their teenage son, Joseph.
During a routine check-up with his GP, Neil confided that he was “a bit annoyed” about feeling an increased frequency and urgency to urinate.
The doctor ran some tests, prescribed some antibiotics and referred Neil to the Urology Service at Flinders Medical Centre for further investigation.
A cancer diagnosis
With the unknown hanging over his head, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Neil selflessly made a mercy dash back to the UK to visit his unwell father. He sadly passed away whilst Neil was enduring two weeks of hotel quarantine on his return.
Whilst still coming to terms with this news, Neil saw the specialists at Flinders, where tests confirmed he had prostate cancer.
“I didn’t think it was cancer, not for a minute,” Neil recalls.
“I wasn’t familiar with prostate cancer, and I didn’t know anyone with it. I was only 45.”
From then on, his wife Jane “became the eyes, ears and voice of reason”, and Neil was under the wonderful care of Flinders Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse, Kerry Santoro – of whom he can't speak more highly.
She guided him through options, with Neil opting to undergo a radical prostatectomy (complete removal of the prostate), followed by 39 radiotherapy sessions and three years of hormone therapy - which he remains on today.
“The initial diagnosis was that I wouldn’t make retirement. But Flinders chucked absolutely everything at it, the kitchen sink and all,” Neil says of his treatment.
The physical effects were brutal at times. His bones weakened by treatment, Neil also fractured his hip and pelvis while attempting a return to running, requiring a stint on crutches.
But that was nothing compared to the mental toll.
“I had some really low moments... I felt like a shell of a man,” Neil says.
“I was incredibly fit and I just wanted to bounce back to what I was before, but it just wasn’t possible.
“That’s when I got in touch with Kerry and she organised for some help. I started seeing the psych-oncology service at Flinders and they were really able to help me with my mindset by giving me the tools to cope with some of the emotional toll.”
Thanks to generous supporters just like you
Together, we can help to improve the quality of life and reduce distress for people who are living with, or after, cancer.
This includes cancer wellness programs, support for the psych-oncology service, and two Cancer Wellness Research Fellows – Dr Katia Ferrar and Dr Emma Kemp (pictured) – whose work is focused on finding better ways to support patients and their families, away from the ‘physical cancer treatments’.
This help is so important to people like Neil, who know all too well the emotional toll cancer can take.
Help make a difference with a donation
Your support today will have a wide-ranging impact.
Neil is acutely aware of how advances in research, and improvements in care and treatment have helped him in his cancer battle today.
He's had low and uncertain times, but he’s now so hopeful about the future and finds immense joy in his morning coffee and ocean swims.
That wouldn’t have been possible without the years of ground-breaking cancer research or the kind, compassionate and expert care at Flinders.
He now wants nothing more than for others to be spared the awful effects of cancer, something I'm sure you want too.
Can you help people like Neil?
Your support not only enables research into prostate cancer, but many other cancer types.
Here at Flinders, there’s research underway into brain cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, bowel cancer, pancreatic cancer, head and neck cancers, oesophageal cancer, asbestos-related cancer, and blood cancers like multiple myeloma, lymphoma and leukaemia.... sadly, the list goes on.
We need your help to fund more research, cancer wellness support and patient care initiatives to improve the lives of patients affected by cancer, and their families.
Will you help with a tax-deductible donation?
Let’s come together and support cancer research and care at Flinders.
Your generosity today will help the dedicated researchers and clinicians at Flinders carry out groundbreaking research and continue to provide the best care possible to people affected by cancer.
Every dollar you give today not only helps provide the best treatment and care possible for people like Neil, but also gives them hope, encouragement, and the knowledge that they aren't alone.
Donate nowKeep up to date
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive information on our latest news and events
Precinct partners
Head office
Flinders Drive
Bedford Park 5042 SA
General enquiries
Flinders Foundation acknowledges the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Flinders precinct was established. We acknowledge the Kaurna people’s deep and ongoing connection to land, waters and community, and pay our respect to their Elders, past and present.
