Sydney family in new health fight after parents and cousin diagnosed with different cancers
Ross Taylor, 35, will start chemotherapy this week after he was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma.
His diagnosis comes shortly after his cousin overcame the same rare cancer.
It also follows the sad death of his father-in-law to brain cancer five years ago, while his mother-in-law is in remission following her battle with stage four follicular lymphoma.
'All I could think (when I was diagnosed) was about the future, my family, my business,' Ross, a dad to twin toddler boys and the owner of a plumbing operation that he launched, told 7NEWS.com.au.
'You're always trying to climb and climb, but nothing can prepare you for this.
'I'm lucky to have amazing people around me.'
One of his rocks, he says, is his wife Kayla, who was front and centre to the cruelty of cancer while a caregiver to her parents just a few years ago.
'She's been all over everything (in terms of planning),' Ross said.
'She looked into medications, booking appointments, on top of being a great mum and doing her work as well.
'I couldn't do it without her.'
Taylor first noticed something was wrong six months ago after pulling up from a cross-fit competition with a sore back.
Scans showed a fracture in his lower spine and two bulging disks, but he was expected to have healed in about six weeks with rest.
When he was still in pain and essentially 'stuck', he went back to his doctor.
'It got to the point I couldn't walk,' Taylor said.
Further scans identified a 10cm-round tumour on top of his heart, with cancer also in his spine, lungs, stomach and hips.
Doctors confirmed he had Hodgkin lymphoma, a disease 800 Australians are diagnosed with every year. The average age at diagnosis is 44.
Kayla said it was another cruel blow so soon after other members of their family had fallen sick.
'It's really hard — you think, 'he's too young for this',' she said.
'There's a lot of stress involved, especially with the business.
'I just want him to rest up so he can get better.'
Beginning treatment
Ross will begin chemotherapy — a new treatment called BrECADD — on Tuesday.
'(BrECADD) has shown some promising results in clinical trials, being better tolerated and more effective than the eBEACOPP regimen in first-line treatment for adult patients with advanced stage Hodgkin lymphoma,' the Leukaemia Foundation told 7NEWS.com.au.
'Results suggest some patients on BrECADD had fewer side effects and better progression-free survival rates.'
The foundation said that while most patients with Hodgkin lymphoma can be treated, 'some face poor prognoses and long-term side effects from treatment, including secondary malignancies, cardiovascular disease and infertility'.
'Hodgkin lymphoma patients who often experience poorer outcomes are those who don't respond well to treatment or relapse,' the foundation said.
'Current treatments include ABVD and eBEACOPP, with eBEACOPP being more intensive and effective but having higher toxicity.
'It is not yet clear to us if BrECADD compares favourably with ABVD, which can be the preferred treatment over eBEACOPP for many patients.
'The Leukaemia Foundation welcomes research into safer and more effective treatments for blood cancer, including lymphoma.'
Each of Ross' six cycles will cost $15,000, a financial burden he thought he would have to shoulder himself because it is not currently covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) or Medicare.
But loved ones and strangers alike have come together to cover almost all of that $90,000 cost via a GoFundMe.
'We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the love and generosity shown to our family during the hardest time of our lives,' Ross said.
'Your support has not only eased the financial burden to help pay for my treatment, but it has lifted our spirts in ways words can't fully express. Thank you for standing with us, your kind words mean everything.'
The active father, who is used to rising early to hit the gym before heading to work, spending time with his kids and then powering through late night emails, said it would be incredibly hard to take a step back.
He said he would be off work for at least six months, and feared for the future of his business.
'I want to keep working through but the specialists basically said, 'nope, you will need some time to rest and recover',' he said.
The Leukaemia Foundation said it would support BrECADD being listed on the PBS if the 'clinical data is strong enough'.
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