My family cancer story actually began for my family in late 2001, my daughter (13 years) Kerrie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in at the near top of her brain stem. Operations in 2002, and other procedures occurred at Westmead Children’s hospital and they were wonderful. When she came home she had visits to the JHH for check-ups and scans. She was deteriorating, lost weight and her motor skills were heartbreaking to watch and support her. She stayed in the JHH on her 14th birthday 1st of June, and was due for a MRI check up on the 4th of June 2003. The night prior with her mother sleeping near her the hospital staff doing their checks found her unconscious in her bed and rushed to ICU and put on life support. This was around 1.30am.With her family around her in the ICU following further tests her results showed no brain activity, we had to turn her life support off. Devastating doesn’t give it justice.
My wife Freda (who was an amputee of her left leg) who cared for Kerrie the most had been experiencing pains and discomfort in her abdomen and experience other woman complaints. Freda then went on got some tests done in Sept 2003 and while a stay in hospital results came back that she had terminal cancer and had a very short time left. We had three other children together, the oldest being 14 years old, Andrew. We lost my beloved wife at the beginning of Dec 2003. The family was rocked again within 6 months.
This left me to raise our children on my own. Andrew then 14, Jonathan then 11 and Sophie then 9 years of age. I continued to work fulltime to put them all through private school to give them the best opportunity. Andrew the oldest finished High school and then went onto Avondale University to and completed a Bachelor of Education for secondary teaching. Of this last 18 months of his course, he was experiencing pains in his left leg and once doing teaching could no longer bear the pain and got it checked out. In 2013, August he had scans and was rushed into surgery where Neurosurgeon, Dr John Christie and his team performed surgery for around 8 hours, After the surgery and a matter of a few hours he was rushed back in for more aggressive surgery for a similar period of time. He was told he may lose all ability on his left side. His recovery in the JHH was in the ward and right next room to where Mark Hughes had his first lot of surgery. Andrew told me he was taken via wheelchair into see Mark on one occasion as Andrew was an obsessed Knights fan. Andrew did suffer some left side mobility but was able to get around with a stick. The Cancer Andrew had was very aggressive and devastatingly we lost him at the Mater on the 7th Feb 2014.
Travel forward to mid 2016 my son Jonathan began suffering vacant seizures, he also was rushed into JHH hospital where scans revealed a brain tumour in his from right hemisphere, Jonathan has undergone two sets of surgery with John Christie along with radiation treatments and also Chemo treatments on a regular basis. He has battled hard and strongly, and only recently since April this year it has got the better of him and he is now bed ridden. About to return home to have 24 hour care from NDIS support
We have suffered a lot as a family. However we want to be able to support the MHF. It is very personal to us, and we know to so many in this world who have benefited from the MHF. Donna (my wife) and I own The Foreshore Rendezvous Restaurant in Toronto which gives us a perfect opportunity for us to give back to those who have supported my children and I through their battle against this disease.
Reyce Wishart
For the month of September The Foreshore Rendezvous are contributing a percentage of net profits raised throughout various activities and 5% of Net Profit of general business to the Mark Hughes Foundation!
