FormalPara Key Points

  • The diagnosis of my stage 4 nasopharyngeal carcinoma took almost 18 months, with doctors initially believing I had a sinus infection.

  • I gained strength from my family, living in my home Country, and using bush medicine alongside medical treatment.

  • Since being diagnosed with cancer, I have become a cancer ambassador for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. I encourage people to be persistent about asking questions and seeking the best medical support.

I am a proud Kamilaroi man from the Darling Downs region in Queensland, Australia. I am committed to sharing my culture and supporting my community. But in March 2016, I was the one who needed support. I was diagnosed with stage 4 nasopharyngeal carcinoma—a rare type of head and neck cancer. I found support from my family, being on Kamilaroi Country, and from the medical staff who looked after me (Fig. 46.1).

Fig. 46.1
A photograph of Des Mc Grady standing in front of the tree.

Des McGrady, at home in the Darling Downs region of Australia. (Photo: C Carson)

Full size image

I cannot remember exactly when I first started to feel unwell. It was one of those things that just slowly creeps up on you. In 2014, I was living in Alice Springs in Central Australia, working to support Aboriginal children who were in foster care. I went on holiday to Katherine, around 1000 km north of Alice Springs. While I was there, I developed what I thought was a sinus infection. At the time, I put it down to the change in climate and the humidity. But when I got home from holidays, I was sick enough to take time off work. My doctor agreed that I was suffering from a sinus infection and prescribed sinus medication. But the sinus medication did not make any difference at all, and my health slowly declined. By January 2016, I could barely breathe through my nose, I could no longer smell anything, I had persistent sinus headaches, and my sleep was disrupted. I was in a pretty bad way.

All through 2015, I saw the doctor regularly, and I accepted his diagnosis of a sinus infection. In January 2016, he organized a computed tomography (CT) scan and suggested I should have a sphenoidotomy. Thankfully, the sphenoidotomy was delayed because I had a fever. By this stage, I was increasingly concerned that the sinus diagnosis was not correct. It did not seem right that I would suddenly have such severe sinus problems when I never had it before.

I decided to leave Alice Springs and go home to be near my family and near Kamilaroi Country in the Darling Downs area. I thought that maybe I would recover if I was at home. I also knew that I would have better access to specialists in Brisbane.

I arrived in Brisbane in March 2016, almost 18 months after I first visited the doctor with sinus symptoms. Within four days, I had been diagnosed with stage 4 nasopharyngeal carcinoma and had been told about the months of treatment ahead, with 35 treatments of radiation, plus three rounds of chemotherapy. I was ready to fight! The first four weeks of treatment did not seem too bad, but then I got hit with the side effects of radiation and chemo. And on top of my cancer treatment, I was struck down with chickenpox.

In the second half of 2016, I looked fear in the face. I was in my early 30s, and I was not ready to let cancer win. I kept positive by promising myself that I would go fishing and camping with my family at Christmas.

I was lucky to be diagnosed early enough to receive treatment. And I was fortunate that the hospital in Brisbane chose the right treatments, and they worked for me. Slowly but surely, I made progress. I achieved my dream of a Christmas fishing trip, but there were many times when I struggled to remain positive. Three things kept me going—support from my family, living in my home Country (Aboriginal lands) near Rosewood, and using bush medicine alongside medical treatment to keep me as healthy as possible.

Since that treatment in 2016, I have had good days and bad days. I try hard to stay positive, and I continue to fight the cancer. But I have gained strength, courage, and confidence through the experience. I have learned that I can do things I did not believe were possible.

Since being diagnosed with cancer, I have become a cancer ambassador for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Queensland. I have joined all sorts of committees and provided advice to government and researchers. I do a lot of work in the community, encouraging people to get tested and advocate for their rights. I encourage all the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people I meet to be persistent about asking questions and making sure they get the right medical support.