logo
Heartwarming update as Professor Richard Scolyer celebrates major milestone after brain cancer diagnosis

Heartwarming update as Professor Richard Scolyer celebrates major milestone after brain cancer diagnosis

Daily Mail​11-06-2025
Globally-renowned pathologist Professor Richard Scolyer will complete his 250th Parkrun this weekend despite battling an aggressive brain tumour.
The 2024 Australian of the year was diagnosed with 'incurable' grade four brain cancer in June 2023.
He underwent treatments based on melanoma research he developed alongside his joint Australian of the Year recipient, Professor Georgia Long.
The father-of-three had no sign of cancer recurrence for almost two years before a scan in March revealed a glioblastoma on the left side of his brain.
Despite the uphill battle against the disease, Prof Scolyer is set to complete his 250th Parkrun on Saturday, a goal he set when he was first diagnosed.
'I'm especially excited about this Saturday, when I'll be completing my 250th Parkrun at the Greenway course in Sydney. This was a milestone I set for myself at the start of my diagnosis and honestly, one I wasn't sure I'd reach,' he wrote on Facebook.
'So it's with a huge amount of gratitude to my family, friends and medical team that I'll be celebrating this achievement.
'Thanks to everyone who's been cheering me on.'
Prof Scolyer added 'things go up and down with how I'm feeling during treatment'.
'This week, it feels like the fog has lifted a bit and I've been able to enjoy some really special moments with family and friends,' he said.
In May, Prof Scolyer revealed his glioblastoma was becoming 'tougher to treat'.
'A recent MRI scan showed, in the left side of my brain, further progress of my glioblastoma (IDH wild-type, etc.) and related adjacent reactive change,' he wrote.
'Whilst this may not be the best direction to be heading with my changes, amazingly to me, I still seem keen to keep living, loving and having fun, whenever possible.
'I feel like there are quite a few people on my team, including my family and friends, and they make me happy and proud!'
In March, Prof Scolyer said that while most of his recurrent tumour had been removed, surgeons were unable to remove other parts.
'Unfortunately, there is a larger volume of quickly growing brain cancer in my left brain. The prognosis is poor,' he said.
Prof Scolyer and his colleague Professor Long were named Australians of the Year in 2024 for the thousands of lives they saved in pioneering new treatments for melanoma using immunotherapy.
He is a prolific author, having penned more than 700 publications and book chapters on melanoma pathology, which garnered him a reputation as one of the world's leading experts in the field.
The melanoma expert has been praised for his openness and bravery in documenting his cancer journey.
However, Prof Scolyer remains philosophical about his journey, stating that he 'just wants to make a difference'.
In an emotional interview with Ally Langdon on A Current Affair in March, Prof Scolyer said he was 'not ready to go yet'.
'It's not fair, but there's a lesson for everyone… make the most of every day because you don't know what's around the corner,' he said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

A shark attack survivor says to do this if you come face to fin with a great white
A shark attack survivor says to do this if you come face to fin with a great white

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

A shark attack survivor says to do this if you come face to fin with a great white

You're treading cold ocean water off Cape Cod and, suddenly, you're not alone - a great white shark has confused you for a bobbing grey seal, and is hoping for a lucky bite. What do you do? Former Australian Navy diver and shark attack survivor, Paul de Gelder, who lost his right hand and leg in a 2009 Sydney Harbor attack, says the key to ensuring your survival lies in your behavior. First, stay cool and collected, he told 'CBS Mornings' this week - no matter how hard that may be. "I know it goes against all natural instincts of preservation, not to panic, but that's the most important thing you can do," the 47-year-old said. 'You have to understand these sharks don't really know what you are, you're almost the same size as them, and they don't want to fight." Second, he said, be aware of where the shark is at all times by staring the apex predator down. 'They know when you're watching, they don't want to attack you when you're watching" he explained. Lastly, resist the urge to punch the creature — unless you absolutely have to. Pushing the sharks can guide them away from you, but divers advise people not to grab their faces. 'Because under their snouts are highly sensitive pores called the Ampullae of Lorenzini — tiny receptors that detect electrical signals. Touching that area can overstimulate them, causing a shark to reflexively open its mouth wide,' SDM Diving says. However, sharks respect size and power and people should not act passively during an encounter. Beachgoers have gotten away from sharks by taking swings at their noses and eyes. De Gelder tried to do the same, but was unsuccessful. Should the shark become aggressive, shark researcher Ryan Johnson previously told the BBC that people should try to do everything in their power and keep their hands out the animals' jaws. Ideally, they should use something hard to push the shark away. 'In a situation where you don't have that, going for the face and the gills and trying to keep your hands out of its mouth is always the best thing,' he said. Experts at the Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File say people should aim for the eyes and gills, but note that water resistance weakens a punch. Of course, the chance of any of this happening is incredibly remote. A human is more likely to bite you than a shark and a Stanford University report from 2015 found that surfers and scuba divers have a one in 17 million and one in 136 million chance of being bitten, respectively. More often than not, a bite is the case of mistaken identity and potentially the result of low vision in great whites. Last year, the number of unprovoked bites were significantly lower than average, in the U.S. and globally. There were 28 in the U.S., compared to the 36 reported in 2023. Still, to be safe, there are things people can do before they enter the water to minimize their chance of a bite, including not entering the water where there's a lot of fish, not going into the water alone or at dawn or dusk, when vision may be low. De Gelder, who is part of a new Discovery Channel special called 'How to Survive a Shark Attack,' previously told the Australian Broadcasting Company that he was wearing a wet suit and black fins, likely 'looking like an injured seal' to the shark that attacked him. "I want to show people by doing," he told CBS.

Is ‘office air' to blame for your limp hair and spotty, flaky skin?
Is ‘office air' to blame for your limp hair and spotty, flaky skin?

The Guardian

time5 hours ago

  • The Guardian

Is ‘office air' to blame for your limp hair and spotty, flaky skin?

S till life paintings known as vanitas, popular in the 17th century, served as reminders of the transient nature of everything on earth, doomed to wither and fade. It's a lesson most of us get when we catch our reflection in the office mirror and are shocked to find our neatly groomed appearance has rapidly deteriorated somewhere between the commute and an 11am meeting. Social media has recently questioned whether this phenomenon is really an inevitable consequence of nature, or if a more modern culprit is robbing hair and skin of beauty and vitality. More than 80m posts on TikTok – such as this influencer – are demanding: 'Can we talk about OFFICE AIR?! Why is it every time I work from the office I leave with greasy hair, dry skin and breakouts?' What is 'office air', and are its effects real? The air in an office can affect skin and hair due to a number of factors, says Dr Anneliese Willems, a GP with a special interest in skincare and a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Air conditioning and heating systems can lower the humidity levels in the air, which can lead to increased 'transepidermal water loss'. 'That's where you're losing moisture through your skin,' Willems says. 'This can result in having drier, tighter or flakier skin, and this is particularly exacerbated in people who are prone to conditions such as eczema or have underlying sensitive skin.' Dr Pooja Kadam, a dermatologist at The Skin Hospital in Sydney, agrees office air may reduce humidity and cause dry skin, which may then trigger inflammatory skin conditions such as acne or dermatitis. And when it comes to hair, 'when the scalp is dry your body may produce extra sebum [oil] to compensate, leading to a greasy look'. What other factors are at play? Office environments might also have poor ventilation, Willems says. This can lead to increased concentration of indoor air pollutants that can irritate the skin, such as dust or what are known as VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which can come from newly manufactured things like carpets, curtains and furniture, as well as certain cleaning products. Dr Libby Sander, an associate professor of organisational behaviour at Bond University, says other symptoms of poor indoor air qualitymay not be visible, with studies showing it may also affect cognition performance as well as cause respiratory issues, headaches and sleep. Factors independent of the physical office environment could also be at play, Willems says. For example, people might sweat more when they're outside their home environment, which might make their hair look limp. Also, the stages of a commute into work – walking to a station, being on a train, then walking to the office – can expose the skin to possible triggers for irritation, and the movement back and forth between hot and cold environments can itself be a source of irritation. Should offices be better designed? Not everyone's hair and skin will be affected by office air, and concerns will be more likely in susceptible individuals such as those with sensitive skin. Willems says things like humidifiers are not always effective and can instead be vectors for infection. However, she encourages people to have a discussion with their employer about what a healthy work environment looks like. 'We often talk about the skin being a mirror to health within the body, and so we want to be creating a work environment that not just looks after skin health, but also looks after whole body wellbeing.' What can you do if you're worried? Sander says office indoor air quality is unfortunately not something that an employee is always able to control. However, they can ask facilities and human resources managers questions such as 'what is the rating of our building? Is it a Leed certified building? Is it a Well certified building? Because we know that there is significant research linking that to a range of physical and cognitive outcomes.' When it comes to the potential impact on people's appearance, Willems says people should focus on good skincare and trying to avoid irritants. A good quality moisturiser is a great place to start, especially one that contains ingredients like ceramides, which are naturally occurring fats found in the skin. These help seal in moisture and restore the skin barrier to keep irritants out. To boost hydration further, humectants like hyaluronic acid can be helpful. These 'essentially draw water into the skin, making it act like a sponge to plump the skin and boost hydration,' Willems says. Products that support skin repair, such as those containing niacinamide (a form of vitamin B3) can also soothe and strengthen the skin over time. Sunscreen is important too, as UV exposure can trigger irritation. Willems adds that using a gentle cleanser is key, because harsh exfoliants on already irritated skin will only make things worse. Antiviral is a fortnightly column that interrogates the evidence behind the health headlines and factchecks popular wellness claims Share your experience What health trend do you want examined? Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature and we will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For true anonymity please use our SecureDrop service instead. Show more

Grace visited doctors with health concerns eight times in her last week of pregnancy. On the ninth visit, she was told her baby was stillborn
Grace visited doctors with health concerns eight times in her last week of pregnancy. On the ninth visit, she was told her baby was stillborn

The Guardian

time5 hours ago

  • The Guardian

Grace visited doctors with health concerns eight times in her last week of pregnancy. On the ninth visit, she was told her baby was stillborn

Grace* was just over 40 weeks pregnant when she arrived at a public hospital in regional New South Wales. The Gamilaraay woman had been excited for the pending birth of her first child, a son called Koa. Her husband's job meant he was often away for long stretches of time, but on this day, by chance, he was by her side attending her ultrasound for the first time. They were both waiting for the reassuring sounds of a heartbeat, a kick to the ribs to let her know her baby was OK. It didn't come. 'This was his first time seeing our baby on the ultrasound, but it was not a good one. That's when they told us that it was no heartbeat,' Grace says. 'He was gone.' It was Grace's ninth trip to the hospital after a flurry of presentations between her GP, local hospital and a larger major hospital where she had sought help with worrying symptoms. Her hands and feet became puffy at 39 weeks gestation; she was unable to wear her jewellery or watch. She'd had pains in her abdomen from undiagnosed gallstones earlier in her pregnancy but they were dismissed as indigestion. She visited her GP several times before being advised to go to the small local hospital. Each time her blood pressure was checked, she had given a urine sample and had been advised to go home. At 39 weeks gestation, she was advised against having her baby induced. One week later, her baby was confirmed to have died of complications from preeclampsia. After the ultrasound which revealed her son had died, Grace was given medication to bring on labour, told to go and get some dinner and come back to the hospital once contractions had started. 'We went back to the hospital and they gave us a room in the birthing suite away from the other mothers,' she says. She was in labour for two days. Grace strongly believes that if she had been listened to when she first began to seek medical attention, her son would be alive today. The day Grace speaks to Guardian Australia would have been Koa's ninth birthday. Instead, their only interaction was in a CuddleCot, a specialised cot with a cooling system to allow grieving families to spend time with their deceased baby. 'It's just really hard not to hear like that first cry, and your body just does strange things,' she says. 'He was laying in the little cot, I was looking at him, and just even though I knew, there was still some hope in me that his chest would move, or he'd start crying. I refused to believe what I was going through.' At those previous medical appointments, Grace says, her blood pressure readings were fluctuating 'dramatically', with some readings very high. She says she consistently showed elevated protein levels in her urine. Both are potential red flags for preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication which can be life-threatening for mother and baby. After three visits, between her GP and her local hospital, Grace was told by her obstetrician to present to another hospital two hours away, where she was monitored overnight before being discharged and told to go to her local GP. Her blood pressure at the GP clinic read 157/95, indicative of hypertension or preeclampsia. She was then told to go back to the local hospital to get her blood pressure rechecked – which yielded the same result. After half an hour her blood pressure dropped and she was told to go home and see her GP again the next day, and have her blood pressure checked every 48 hours. She says she was advised about decreased foetal movements, and told that her GP was against an induction and advised her to 'wait for the baby to be ready to come' – despite her pregnancy complications. She says a week after she was discharged – after eight visits to her GP and hospital with erratic and high blood pressure readings – she realised she hadn't felt the baby move, and so ate something to see if that would encourage movement. She said to her husband that she felt they weren't being listened to. 'I don't actually know what to do at this point,' she said. 'We go to the doctor, and they tell us to go to hospital. We go to the hospital, then they tell us to go back to the doctor, and it's just like a vicious cycle.' Grace called the maternity ward that had admitted her and was initially told to go to the local hospital before being advised to present to the maternity ward. She says she felt excited that she might get some help. Instead she was told her child was dead. 'There was no real time to process the news,' she says. 'I had to give natural birth and that [took] two days. They would not give me a C-section because they said that I would have mental problems from having to look at a scar on my stomach. But I still have problems from that experience. They treated me giving birth [to a dead baby] like a normal person who's having a live baby.' Guardian Australia has been investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's experiences in maternal care and midwifery, uncovering complaints of culturally unsafe care, allegations of discrimination, unwanted medical interventions and infant removals. Grace says she is unable to say if her Aboriginal heritage was a factor but strongly believes her concern that something was wrong was dismissed by both local doctors and the hospital. She sued NSW Health over the incident and the department settled without prejudice and with no admissions of liability. Her lawyer, Linda Crawford, a former midwife who now works for Catherine Henry Lawyers, claims Grace was let down by the medical system. 'There were many missed opportunities in the care provided to [her],' Crawford says. Crawford says she believes there is often a lack of appropriate expertise and medical experience in remote and regional areas that, coupled with the complex needs of patients and the vast areas that small local hospitals cover, can have adverse outcomes despite the best efforts of health professionals. In response to questions from Guardian Australia, NSW Health says it is 'committed to ensuring pregnant women, their babies and families receive high quality, safe and timely maternity care' but would not provide any further comment on Grace's case. 'We acknowledge the deep and lasting grief associated with the loss of a child and we extend our sincere condolences to all families impacted by stillbirth,' a NSW Health spokesperson said. Grace, who has since had two more children, says it is vital that women are listened to by health professionals and failure to do so can lead to devastating outcomes. 'All women need to be listened to,' she says. 'I just want the right treatment. I wanted to be heard and I wasn't.' *Names have been changed In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. The Indigenous crisis hotline is 13 YARN, 13 92 76. Stillbirth support can be accessed via the Stillbirth Foundation Australia.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store