In July 2020, Damon Jacobs joined the Gut Cancer Foundation team for the Auckland Marathon. Damon’s story is inspiring and heartwrenching. Sadly, in May 2022, after 4 years of relentless fundraising and fighting for his own survival, Damon passed away surrounded by his loved ones.
Damon initially wanted to share his story in the hope of inspiring others to join the Auckland Marathon team for the event. Beyond that, he hoped his story would raise vital awareness of the need for increased funding for treatments for all types of gut cancers. Damon was an inspiration to those who knew him…Here’s his story:
“In December 2017 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic cancer which is all in the GI region; liver, spleen, lymph nodes and small bowel. The liver is the most hit, inoperable and incurable and palliative care was what I was told … weeks to months to live was what I was facing.
I have been on chemotherapy since then, I had to fundraise for my Herceptin drug as I was lucky enough to have the strain of cancer that it would benefit. I have clicked over 50 treatments now and counting.
At the beginning of 2018 my mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer the same week they operated on me to remove my primary cancer in the duodenum, and although she has been cleared she has had something pop up in the last few weeks.
I want to do this to show myself that although there are things I can’t do, there are things that I can do if I am able to at the time.”
In 2021 Damon went on to tell his journey in detail in an interview with the Medicine Gap campaign which can be read in full here: