Sean's Family

As many friends, family and colleagues of myself and Sean are aware, whilst I was five weeks in to my treatment for AdCC in Switzerland, I was made aware during a chemotherapy session that Sean had been tragically killed in a work related accident.

Sean was a motorbike delivery postman for Australia Post and while passing a residential construction site, a front loader reversed into him causing fatal injuries which he died of later the same day in Fiona Stanley Hospital.

Our two children were flown to Switzerland to be with me, accompanied by a family friend. Whilst I didn't intend for more donations to be made to this page which was originally intended to assist with my cancer treatment, many people have passed on their kind thoughts and made donations to help us manage financially as I am unable to work currently.

I can't express how grateful we are for all help we have received. Many thanks to you all for your continued support at this terrible time in our lives.

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In mid-February 2015 I was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Lacrimal Gland. This is a very rare cancer which means there is very little funding and the funding that does exist is generated by people suffering from the disease and not from any mainstream cancer research charities.

My diagnosis came after major surgery to remove a tumour from my left orbit. The tumour was thought to be a simple benign lesion, so it was a huge shock to be told several days later that it wasn't just malignant, it was a rare type of cancerous growth that most doctors know very little about.

ACC is a rare cancer that originates in secretory glands and many people experience tumour growth in the salivary glands - in my case it grew in the tear gland above my eye. Following removal of the tumour, the recommendation from the specialists here in Australia is total exenteration of the eye, which means surgery to remove the eye, orbit contents and some bone structure to achieve 'clean margins'.