For Pepi & Sarah: Strength to Keep Fighting

Pepi (Nick) and Sarah have been together for 10 years and are proud parents to two beautiful children — Evie, 5, and Alfie, 8 months. For the past 8 years, Pepi has been battling brain cancer (oligodendroglioma, now Grade 3). Throughout his journey, he has undergone four brain resection surgeries, rehabilitation, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and most recently, a new treatment at Peter Mac – this is their story.

In 2017, Sarah found Nick having a seizure in the bathroom. An MRI revealed a brain lesion, and he underwent his first resection surgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. The tumour, larger than a golf ball, was partially removed. After time in the high dependency unit and weeks of rehab, Nick regained full function in his left side. The biopsy confirmed a grade 2 oligodendroglioma. While they could never remove all of the tumour, they planned to monitor its growth with regular scans every three months.

In late 2018, further tumour growth led to a second surgery in early 2019 — just as Sarah was 24 weeks pregnant with their first daughter, Evie. Nick underwent 6 weeks of radiation, overlapping with Evie’s birth. Despite it all, he continued with regular MRI scans, and for a while, things seemed stable.

In 2020, Nick had a seizure while driving to work, resulting in a car accident. Fortunately, he was uninjured, but they suspected he had a seizure while driving. Scans showed no major changes, and he remained on regular monitoring.

By 2022 however, Nick’s tumour had grown again, leading to a third surgery. This time, the tumour had mutated to a more aggressive grade 3. After regaining strength in his left arm and hand, Nick began 12 months of chemotherapy.

In July 2024, Nick was made redundant from his job. Ironically, this turned out to be fortunate, as in August, his seizures returned, and scans showed more tumour growth — just as Sarah prepared to give birth to their second child, Alfie. Nick underwent a fourth surgery 3 weeks after Alfie’s arrival, once again losing strength in his left side. After rehab, he regained some mobility, but by November 2024, only 3 months after his last surgery, the tumour had regrown aggressively. His oncology team began him on a new treatment at Peter Mac, which he was receiving every three weeks, and they also introduced a palliative care team.

Unfortunately, we’ve recently been told by Nick’s oncology team that despite the new treatment plan at Peter Mac, the treatment isn’t working, and they have no further treatment options available. Palliative care is now their main point of contact for helping with symptom management.

Driven to keep fighting, we are exploring every natural approach to hopefully slow the progression of this aggressive disease. We've taken matters into our own hands—researching and self-funding integrative oncology treatments while following a strict organic keto diet.

Nick, who always returned to work within weeks of surgery — even working during radiation and chemo — has been unable to work since June 2024 due to the loss of function in his left arm and hand. While eligible for a disability pension, he couldn’t receive it as Sarah was on parental leave at the time. He has since began receiving the disability pension, and has also withdrawn his superannuation to cover household expenses, including their mortgage and alternative treatments.

Sarah and Nick have raised over $15,000 for brain cancer research through ‘Walk4BrainCancer’ and the ‘Cure Brain Cancer Foundation’ — always focused on helping others and never once asking for financial support themselves. They’ve given so much — not just through fundraising, but by offering their time, energy, and support to the brain cancer community.

Sarah and Nick have been members of the crew community over the years, and right now, they need us. Now, as they face an incredibly challenging time, let’s come together to ease their burden — to show Sarah, Pepi, Evie & Alfie the same generosity and compassion they’ve shown so many. It’s time for us to give back.

DONATE, JOIN US, AND BE PART OF THE MOVEMENT.

On Sunday, April 6, CREW Fitness & Performance is opening its doors to EVERYONE.

Join us for a free 1-hour session that’s open to all.

The only request - donate $10 on arrival to participate!

Not into gym sessions? No problem! Come along, grab a coffee, bring the kids (there’s a jumping castle!), get involved in the raffle (with incredible prizes up for grabs from local businesses), and show your support for this amazing cause and family.

9am kick off - 9 Desire Place, Hoppers Crossing VIC 3029.

Can’t make it? You can still make a difference by donating to the cause through this link — every little bit helps.

Thank you for your generosity.