General News
20 July, 2023
Local family hope to bring son Jaymz home after shock cancer diagnosis
A cancer diagnosis was the last thing Maryborough man Jaymz Lester-Stevens was expecting to hear after starting his dream job, let alone at the age of just 26. Moving to the Northern Territory in April to start working at the Ayers Rock Resort...
A cancer diagnosis was the last thing Maryborough man Jaymz Lester-Stevens was expecting to hear after starting his dream job, let alone at the age of just 26.
Moving to the Northern Territory in April to start working at the Ayers Rock Resort, Jaymz had been at work for only a few months when he started experiencing stomach discomfort.
When the discomfort grew to severe pain and he began vomiting blood, Jaymz was flown to the Alice Springs Hospital earlier this month for emergency surgery, where a large cancer mass was removed from his upper bowel.
The news was devastating for Jaymz’ family, particularly his mother Danielle, who flew to Alice Springs and remains by his side.
For Jaymz’ younger brother Jack, the news was completely unexpected.
“I got a phone call very early in the morning from Jaymz and when he told me he had cancer I was shocked,” he said.
“I had to ask him a few times because I couldn’t understand how it could be true, I thought it must have been a joke.
“We’ve been able to stay very positive about it all, you just have to focus on the hope in the situation.”
Jack said there were minimal signs his brother was unwell.
“We would speak on the phone often and I noticed when I was talking to him he had a cough which didn’t sound right,” he said.
“I found out he’d been experiencing stomach discomfort for about a month as well before the diagnosis.
“He was still going to work every day though, he told me he wasn’t feeling very well but it was something he could get through and for a 26-year-old you would not immediately think it’s cancer.
“He’d been to a doctor and was given antibiotics and thought that would sort things out but when he started vomiting blood it was obvious something was very wrong.”
Jaymz remains in the surgical ward at the Alice Springs Hospital and is receiving high doses of pain medication.
The family is hopeful of getting Jaymz back to Maryborough however there is no timeline on when he could be released from hospital as of yet.
“They’re starting to get him to walk around and that’s going quite well which is great given he’s just had major surgery,” Jack said.
“They want to get him well enough to fly down to Melbourne so we can get him home, that’s the goal.
“We’re taking it day by day at the moment but his spirits are high and the way he’s handling it is honestly the best way you could manage, he’s very optimistic.
“Jaymz was so happy when he went to work up there, he was referring to it as a new chapter and was so excited for the new opportunities — I’d never heard my brother express that sort of happiness so for it to come to this is hard.”
The family have organised a GoFundMe page and are asking for donations to help get Jaymz home, with $630 raised so far.
Close family friend Deanna Mata said the news of Jaymz’ condition was devastating for the family and has added to financial pressures.
“The family are struggling financially, the home they’ve been in for 20 years is going on the market and they’re attending as many inspections as possible but it’s difficult to find something that’s affordable and meets their needs,” she said.
“This family are very close and have always tried to deal with things within the family circle but in this case, we have to reach out and try to support them as much as we can.”
While the priority is to get Jaymz home, money donated will also help cover Royal Flying Doctor Service fees, ongoing treatment at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne and to secure housing for him.
To support Jaymz and his family, head to https://gofund.me/0733fd1a