Deputy principal Dave Marchant says he’s been shocked by the support he’s received since his brain cancer diagnosis. Photo: Dave Gwyther-Marchant.
Dave Gwyther-Marchant (known as Mr Marchant to his students) still remembers getting ‘that call’ from his neurologist.
He was “living an everyday, normal, run-of-the-mill life”, but made a doctor’s appointment after experiencing hand twitches, limited motion in his leg and what he later found out were absence seizures.
“The following day [after an MRI scan], I received a call from the neurologist whilst I was at work, around about lunchtime,” he said.
“[It was] basically saying, ‘I don’t want to alarm you, but we’ve found a large brain lesion, and you need to report to the emergency department immediately for them to monitor it.'”
After speaking with several doctors and undergoing brain surgery in December 2024, the Googong Public School deputy principal was diagnosed with a grade two astrocytoma.
“Then I went off and started doing some research around brain cancer – reading some medical journals, looking at the Cancer Council’s website and that sort of thing,” he said.
“What I actually found was a bit scary. I found there’s no known cure for brain cancer. Whatever the type or grade of cancer you have, there is no cure for it – all that can be done is that you just treat it.”
For Dave, that meant plans for six weeks of radiation, followed by chemotherapy. But unlike other people diagnosed with astrocytoma, he’s stepping out to hit the pavement.
In recent weeks, he has been fundraising for the Mark Hughes Foundation, a not-for-profit established in 2014 to raise awareness of brain cancer and money for research.
His campaign has surpassed the initial $5000 target and raised more than $20,000 for the charity.
“We’re about four weeks in, which is very exciting,” he said.
For each day of his radiation treatment, which started in February, he has committed to running five kilometres each day.
“I have radiation at 8 am in the morning [Monday to Friday], then my wife drops me home and she heads into work,” Dave said.
Dave will join other people for a 150-km hike from the SCG in Sydney to McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle in June for the NRL’s Beanies for Brain Cancer round.
He would be the first to say balancing family life, cancer treatment and fundraising efforts can be challenging.
“I’ve basically been on sick leave since I received a diagnosis in November [last year],” he said.
“I can’t thank my wife enough, because she does work in health – and has for many years – but she’s just been my rock. She’s been super strong.”
Dave said people from and businesses in Googong and Queanbeyan, where he had worked at local schools, and people further afield in Canberra were “super supportive” of his efforts.
A long-time runner, Dave will soon head to Canberra to complete the Bridge to Bridge loop around Lake Burley Griffin, sell MHF merchandise and catch up with supporters.
“I wanted to find a way of saying thank you to the community, and showing my appreciation,” he said.
“That is how this community event started up.”
While the MHF fundraising campaign finishes in June, it has also sparked a passion in Dave for raising brain cancer awareness.
“We do know the tumour will recur at some point in the future; we don’t know when. For me, it will just be about trying to get on with life and live life as normal as possible, as healthy as possible,” he said.
“I really do want to continue creating awareness, but I think my focus probably will shift from fundraising to the creating awareness side of things.”
Find Dave’s fundraising page for the Mark Hughes Foundation here, or find regular updates on Dave’s Instagram.
His community run will be held on Saturday (22 April) from 8 am to noon, and start from The Jetty, Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes, Canberra.
Loading ...
