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Malcolm Pooley has never shied away from a challenge.
At the age of eight, Malcolm was spotted by a talent scout while at the cinema with his grandmother. He was recruited for various TV commercials until he was ten years old.
He went on to audition for the role of Sunny, the boyhood companion of the kangaroo in the iconic TV series, Skippy - a role that eventually went to Garry Pankhurst.
In 2022, at the age of 64, when many pilots were unable to fly due to COVID-19 restrictions, Malcolm completed a Commercial (Remote) Pilot's Licence and was taught to fly a drone by grounded Qantas pilots, who were also training to be drone pilots. He now flies his own drone on a recreational basis.
But Malcolm admits that the prospect of 40 sessions of radiotherapy at Icon Cancer Centre Wahroonga to treat prostate cancer shook his confidence.
“At the start of my radiotherapy treatment, I was a bit apprehensive about everything and pretty much kept to myself,” says Malcolm.
“But as I worked through the treatment cycle, and after treatment number 20, I developed more confidence and swagger, because the staff and nurses were so positive and reassuring and I could start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Malcolm, a former Army Officer Cadet, says one of the key things that got him through his eight weeks of radiotherapy was an early decision he made to engage an exercise physiologist.
“She worked me hard and pushed me to exercise beyond my comfort zone. It was like being back in the Australian Army again after a 45-year absence,” laughs Malcolm.
“The positive outcomes from my weekly gym session with the exercise physiologist, together with complementary daily workouts three times a week were significant.
“I had more energy than expected despite the radiotherapy, I didn’t put on additional weight due to my hormone therapy treatment, and I actually increased my total muscle mass.”
To mark his 40th and final radiotherapy session at Icon Cancer Centre Wahroonga, Malcolm was elated to ring the centre’s bell to mark the special occasion.
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