Leigh’s tough journey

For Icon Hobart patient Leigh, brain cancer came as a shock. After going through prostate cancer, secondary prostate cancer and four melanomas in the last 15 years, he never thought that losing his balance while running the Point to Pinnacle in 2018 could be a sign of brain cancer.

“I basically had to crawl the last 7kms up the hill. I’d had a few electric shock feelings in my head and thought it could be from cold weather or stress, but a tumour? That’s the last thing I’d think,” Leigh said.

In May 2019, Leigh and his wife Helen were on a cruise in Alaska when they fell sick with the flu. After seeing a doctor on the boat, Leigh was immediately rushed to Kodiak Hospital, Alaska to get an MRI.

Despite some uncertainty around what is next, Leigh and Helen remain positive and look forward to spending as much time together as possible surrounded by their biggest supporters – their three children and seven grandkids.

“We couldn’t have done it without our family. Every day, we wake up with hope. This has given us a new perspective on life; we prepare for the worst, but hope for the best,” Helen said.

“Leigh said to me ‘I’m going to get to the other side of this’. Can you imagine going through three brain surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapy in just a few months? He’s amazing.”

The Point to Pinnacle is set to take place on November 17, with the half-marathon climbing over 1 200m in elevation to the pinnacle of Mount Wellington.