A Mowbray father is recovering in a Melbourne hospital after life-threatening cancer surgery, while his family back in Tasmania scrambles to cover mounting costs.
Anthony Taylor went to the Launceston General Hospital emergency department around a month ago with minor symptoms – some bleeding, a high temperature and high blood pressure.
Scans revealed a 7.5-centimetre mass growing on his only kidney.
Doctors believe he was born with just one kidney, a condition affecting roughly one in 1,000 men.
The tumour had spread into his renal vein, which leads to the heart.
His wife Elise Taylor said the family was blindsided.
“Overall he looked very healthy, you know, never really had cold and flu symptoms, pains,” she said.
Within 24 hours of seeing a urologist at the LGH, Taylor was referred to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Treatment Centre in Melbourne.
Surgeons performed a partial removal of his kidney and took out the cancerous renal vein, building replacement veins in its place.
Less than a day later, internal bleeding forced a second emergency operation.
Taylor was then placed in an induced coma for five days.
He woke in the past two days but has been disoriented and struggling to understand why his wife is not beside him.
She had to return to Tasmania to care for the couple’s four children.
“He thinks that I left completely,” Elise said.
“He’s like, ‘She’s gone. She’s not here. You’re lying to me. She’s hiding out there in the corridor.'”
“He’s becoming agitated. It’s not real for him. It doesn’t make sense.”
Their youngest turns 8 on August 11.
Doctors are still unsure whether all the cancer was removed and are considering chemotherapy.
Taylor faces dialysis three times a week and a potential kidney transplant wait of two to five years if he is declared cancer-free.
A boilermaker-welder of 15 years, Elise said Anthony will not be able return to heavy physical work.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover medial bills and living costs while they await answers.
“You just don’t know, unfortunately, with cancer, how long these sorts of recovery times take,” she said.
To donate visit their GoFundMe.
