For 14 years, knowing he carried a BRCA2 gene variant felt like a “stone in my shoe” for Kevin. Then, at 51, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This Father’s Day, he is looking firmly ahead – to more time with his three daughters, the possibility of becoming a grandfather and a life he has no intention of taking for granted.
Ask Kevin what matters now and the answer comes quickly: his family.
He wants to watch his three daughters build their lives. He wants more family dinners, more rounds of golf and more time with the people he loves.
They are ordinary ambitions. For Kevin, that is precisely what makes them extraordinary.
Father’s Days carry a different weight now. Not because Kevin wants to dwell on what has happened, but because he knows how much it means to still be making plans.
That appetite for life is also behind his decision to take part in Remember September this year. In 2025, he was still too weak following pancreatic cancer treatment. This September, things are different.
He is exercising. He is looking after himself. His community has rallied around him and he couldn’t be more grateful. And he’s already smashed his $7500 target.
I live for my family. I want to see my daughters grow up and be a grandfather.
Knowing his inherited cancer risk
Long before pancreatic cancer entered Kevin’s life, cancer risk was already part of his family story.
Kevin was born in the UK and moved to Australia more than two decades ago. When genetic testing became available to him around 14 years ago, he discovered he carried a BRCA2 gene variant, as his mother did.
It was information he was grateful to have, but it was not always easy information to live with.
He was offered ongoing surveillance through Prince of Wales Hospital and had regular screening from 2012. Each appointment brought the possibility that this might be the time something was found.
For years, it wasn’t.
His screening in February 2024 was clear, but the knowledge never disappeared completely. And Kevin now believes knowing his inherited cancer risk helped him remain alert when his health began to change.
Knowing I carried a BRCA2 gene variant was something hanging over my head the whole time. It's been like a stone in my shoe
When something didn’t feel right
A few months after that clear screening result, Kevin was hospitalised with pancreatitis.
More changes came, his eyes began to look yellow and his urine became dark and his stools pale. At first, Kevin put it down to the pancreatitis and assumed things would settle.
He had also just landed a new job after a difficult period of redundancy and financial pressure. After months of uncertainty, life finally felt as though it was moving forward again.
Kevin did what plenty of self-described “typical blokes” might do. He carried on.
By July, he was vomiting. His wife insisted he see his GP and this time, things moved fast.
Kevin was diagnosed with stage 2B pancreatic cancer at 51. Within seven days, he underwent Whipple surgery, followed by six months of chemotherapy.
The months that followed were some of the hardest Kevin and his family had experienced. Complications from surgery made his recovery long and traumatic, and chemotherapy took a heavy toll.
Kevin is pragmatic by nature. His instinct was to get on with what needed to be done. But he also knew he could not do it alone.
"She was my rock"
Kevin and his wife have been together for 34 years. During his treatment, like many, she became his carer while continuing to work and hold family life together.
Kevin's three daughters were also trying to understand what was happening to their dad. He didn't know how to talk to them about pancreatic cancer at first. He researched it and decided honesty was the best approach.
He was open with them about his diagnosis and treatment, while trying to remain positive and steady in front of them. The darkest moments were often kept between Kevin and his wife.
Being a dad shaped the way he approached those conversations then and it shapes what he wants now.
More life, not less
Kevin finished chemotherapy on 1 April 2025. A man who didn’t mind a prank, April first is a day he’ll never forget - taking on new meaning.
Cancer has changed the way he lives, but he does not want it to become the definition of his life.
He has stopped smoking, reduced how much he drinks, changed the way he eats and made regular exercise part of his routine. He has also stepped away from work to focus on his health.
And there is still plenty of room for the Kevin who loves golf, loves being social and loves being surrounded by family and friends - perhaps more than ever.
He knows he has been fortunate to have had the opportunity for surgery and treatment. Something not available for everyone. And the thing that once felt like a burden – knowing about his BRCA2 gene variant – now looks different to him.
Knowledge did not give Kevin certainty. But it gave him awareness.
It gave him a reason to participate in surveillance and to understand that his risk was different. And when something changed, that knowledge was part of the story that helped him act.
Turning gratitude into action this September
For Kevin, Remember September is a celebration of being here.
Of being a husband.
Of being a mate.
And, especially on Father’s Day, of being a dad.
It is also his way of helping create better outcomes for the families who will face pancreatic cancer next.
He wants more people to understand their family cancer history. He wants people who may have an inherited risk of pancreatic cancer to know that information can give them choices about what to do next.
And he wants to help fund pancreatic cancer research that can turn greater knowledge into earlier detection, better treatments and more time for families.
Because Kevin’s ambitions for the future are not complicated.
He wants to see his girls grow up. Wants to be part of their futures.
He wants more Father’s Days.
And this September, every kilometre, every conversation and every donation is a way of helping more families hope for the same.
Take part in Remember September
This September Move It and walk 78km over the month or Give Up a vice of your choosing like caffeine or sugar.
Whichever challenge you choose, you will be helping Pankind fund groundbreaking pancreatic cancer research and improve survival rates for people impacted by pancreatic cancer.
