Enzo was first diagnosed with liver cancer in 2016 when he had surgery to remove a tumour. During a check-up six years later, a new tumour was found on his liver and he commenced a combination of immunotherapy and radiotherapy at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre (ONJ Centre).
Enzo has also taken part in a clinical trial of a new drug with the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre at the ONJ Centre, which is one of Australia’s largest and longest running trials centres, running around 250 active studies at one time.
Dr Robert Needleman, who helped care for Enzo, explains, "Clinical trials like this are done to see if new or investigational treatments are either more effective, or more tolerable in serious conditions such as cancer. This allows us to improve care for both our current and future patients."
Enzo is incredibly grateful for all the care he has received over many years. “The staff are unbelievable – we are so blessed to have their care. I have nothing but praise. I like how consistent and helpful they were in communicating with me over the years.”
Enzo says he stays reasonably fit with regular walks and the gym, which he thinks helped him overcome side effects from cancer treatment and generally feel well throughout the experience. It also helped him emotionally. “Exercise helped me deal with the feelings you get some days of ‘why me?’” he says.
Enzo’s choice to combine exercise with his cancer treatment is aligned to the ONJ Centre’s approach of treating the whole patient – mind, body and spirit.
Join us for Olivia’s Walk for Wellness on Sunday 6 October to help raise vital funds to support the transformative work of the ONJ Centre.