Luca Brasi's singer shares update on his son's cancer, mental health and future of the band
It's been nearly two years since the singer's young son was diagnosed with neuroblastoma – an aggressive form of cancer that develops on the kidneys in children under five – after months of no answers and dismissal from doctors.
"[My wife] Alix just kept pushing for help and eventually my own GP got us in contact with a paediatrician," Tyler said.
"He took one look at Hazzy and said to get him to emergency pronto, post haste. Long story short this visit to the hospital delivered us news we had never even considered; cancer. Bad cancer, a type of childhood cancer that is so aggressive it is scarcely believable."
From that point on, the Richardson family moved their whole lives from Tasmania to Melbourne and practically lived at the Childrens' Hospital until late 2024, as neuroblastoma can't be treated in Tasmania.
"We began treatment immediately, starting with chemotherapy in the hope to reduce the grapefruit sized tumour which has grown on Hazzy's adrenal gland," Tyler said.
"I learnt about anatomy (turns out I have no fucking idea about alot of things), I learnt about medicines, I learnt about a hospital environment, about surgeons, specialists and a whole heap of shit I wish I was still oblivious too. Unfortunately that is just what happens, you have to learn things in order to advocate for your kid.
"The nurses and doctors at The Royal Children's in Melbourne are everything to us, we owe them the world, Hazzy is alive because of them, but you need to advocate for your kid daily in order to get what they need."
The chemotherapy was able to shrink the tumour enough to be operated on, followed by high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplants which is incredibly exhausting on the body in its process.
"They use high dose to flat line your bone marrow, to absolutely obliterate every cell in your body in order to stop your cells being arseholes and morphing into cancer," Tyler said.
"They can hammer kids way harder than us as they are so young and can replicate cells so well. It showed – Hazzy was in a way I can hardly believe possible to this day."
Harris was on a cocktail of medications so "a cold or a bloody stiff breeze" wouldn't threaten his chance at survival; morphine, ketamine, fentanyl – the works.
"I have seen Hazzy way more cooked than any goober at the club," Tyler said.
"And oh boy have I seen some cooked units in my time."
Through this incredibly difficult time, Tyler was still trying to play shows with Luca Brasi but found it too emotionally draining to be spending his days around kids who were incredibly unwell and then going off to play a gig at night.
"I'd be crying out back, crying on stage and everywhere in between," he said.
"It's just too hard. Kids shouldn't get sick and kids shouldn't die like that - I saw so much death, of things I didn't ever think I'd see."
He admitted Luca Brasi has been an afterthought while he's been essentially living in the hospital. Longtime guitarist Pat Marshall left the band in late 2024, replaced by Nick Manuell.
"In more recent times we have been jamming as a band and fucking hell it feels good," Tyler said.
"Sometimes you get so wrapped up in bullshit like accounting and contracts and politics – business stuff, and forget that at one point you were in band simply to be creative. Damn it feels good."
Through Harris' treatment, Tyler and his wife learned about a drug on trial in the United States that could possibly keep neuroblastoma away after major surgery – exactly the situation that Harris was in.
Not wanting to have to put his immunocompromised kid through risky international travel to access the trial, Tyler advocated hard with friends with government contacts to push to have the drug trial accessible here in Australia.
"Somehow it worked," he said.
"Hazzy and his pals could access this drug here at home and fight this hell on home soil."
For now, Tyler's main priority is being present in the moment with Alix and Harris back at home in Tasmania. He's back working as a teacher full time and spends every minute outside of that cherishing the extra time he's been given with his son.
"I have no idea what the future holds, but right now Hazzy is next to me making some kind of cat sculpture he reckons," he said.
"The heater is on and we're eating popcorn and chatting and that's enough for right now for me."
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