ABOUT 12 months ago, Shawn Stoddart was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma in his hip bone.
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Now, every three weeks he has to travel from his home in Wolumla to the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney for treatment.
Despite his cancer, Mr Stoddart is planning on marrying his fiancée of eight years, Sandra Dean, in January next year.
Speaking on Wednesday while on one of their trips to Sydney for treatment, Ms Dean said her partner was doing alright.
“He hasn’t gotten any really bad side effects yet, just a bit of tiredness,” she said.
“He takes one day at a time and says ‘what can you do about it? I’ve got it’.
“I don’t know how I’d cope with it.”
The couple has three children - seven-year-old Jasmine, five-year-old Natalie and has recently added a new member to their family, four-month-old boy Brodie.
Ms Dean said her children handle their father’s condition pretty well.
“They try and ask him questions and try to understand, but they know that he’ll be having treatment for the rest of his life,” she said.
Mr Stoddart was originally diagnosed with a melanoma mole eight years ago, which was eventually cleared.
However, he then found a secondary melanoma mole on his collarbone, and later scans showed he had thyroid cancer.
Twelve months ago he decided to have his thyroids removed and has been on thyroid replacement tablets since.
Ms Dean said Mr Stoddart was unable to return to work after his diagnosis eight years ago, because as he did fencing if he scratched himself he could end up in hospital.
He has managed to spend some time working at Merimbula Go-Lo.
There is good news on the horizon, as Ms Dean said the immunotherapy treatment Mr Stoddart is currently undergoing at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney has an 80 per cent chance of success.
Mr Stoddart has undergone two lots of treatment so far and after three months he will have scans taken and doctors will evaluate his condition.
Wolumla school right behind Shawn
FUNDRAISERS are already underway to help Mr Stoddart.
Wolumla Public School is holding a disco on Friday, September 11, and a wacky hair mufti day on September 17 to support the family.
The school’s P&C will also donate profits from the canteen on the mufti day.
The community can help Mr Stoddart and his family by donating to their cause at www.gofundme.com/b824nshk.