Picture: TODD LEWIS
BATTLING cancer is a journey which can test and strain the emotions of all those affected and at times can leave families feeling alone and helpless.
Two years ago, Mount Gambier man Scott Collins was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and required immediate surgery followed by intense chemotherapy and radiation.
Scott has shown incredible bravery during his fight with the disease, but recently experienced his first major meltdown.
“I was angry and I’m not usually an angry person, but it had all just built up,” he said.
His mother Deanne Carmody said seeing her son angry and frustrated for the first time during his battle left her feeling helpless.
“He felt like he had to be at the doctor constantly, he experiences neuron-fatigue and it had all built up to leave him feeling alone and isolated,” Ms Carmody said.
“It was actually Mental Health Week when Scott had a breakdown and I just felt helpless because he’s been so good.”
However, a mother’s love has no boundaries and Ms Carmody was determined to help her son, which led to her reaching out on social media.
“I was desperate to try and help him and I would never do anything without Scott agreeing, so he really supported it,” she said.
“I was open about what had happened and the message was directed at other families affected by cancer to come together and connect.
“Within 24 hours the post had just blown up, I got around 500 responses from people.”
By the following day, Ms Carmody had secured a location and donations from the generous local community to host a barbecue on Sunday to connect cancer affected families.
“I kind of thought ‘what have I done?’, but I have already met some amazing people and I’m really excited about Sunday,” she said.
“It is an opportunity for people to come together and meet each other. If you feel like talking about your story you can or if you want to leave it at home, that’s fine too.”
Scott said he was amazed by his mother’s actions.
“I did not really know much about what she was planning, but when I found out about it I just thought it was an amazing idea,” he said.
“It’s such a great thing because there are so many people going through the cancer battle and just to get people together to talk about their situation or just to meet new people is fantastic.”
Scott said he hoped to secure new friendships and hear other people’s stories to learn how they cope with the disease.
“I want to hear about how other people have dealt with their treatment or living with their cancer, that’s probably my main goal,” he said.
“I think there are always going to be times I feel alone, but there’s also days I literally forget I have cancer.”
Ms Carmody said the support had changed Scott’s mindset in a matter of days and was what made her most proud.
“He’s gone from his lowest point and to his credit he has picked himself up to be in amazingly positive spirits again,” she said.
“We have both had a lot of fun getting this day organised.”
Ms Carmody said she is not sure how many people to expect at the event.
“We have had around 50 people indicate they will be coming, but then they might bring several members of their family,
so we are not sure,” she said.
The Connecting Cancer Affected Families Barbecue Day will be held at Mount Gambier Old Hospital Laundry from 11am to 2pm on Sunday.
Families are encouraged to take chairs and a picnic rug and all food and drinks will be supplied.
