Behind every GI cancer diagnosis there is a story...

A personal story of GI cancer from our CEO, Russell Conley

GI cancer doesn’t discriminate. I was a happy, healthy 57-year-old with a wonderful partner and a job I loved, doing something I felt mattered.

Last August, I began experiencing severe stomach issues, which was very unusual for me. Eventually, I was in so much pain I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I saw my doctor and went through the testing process. I vividly remember the afternoon I got the news, I felt numb. The shock of discovering I had a GI cancer was amplified when I learned that it had spread. I knew then it was going to be tough, and reality hit me – I was now fighting for my life.

Things are very different for me today. GI cancer can impose terrible costs on the body and ordinary, everyday activities I once managed without a second thought are now fraught with difficulties. As my treatment continues, I know more challenges will come.

Please help us continue to push this vital work forward with your donation before 30 June. This tax time, I have secured a generous benefactor to match your donation. Any amount you give will be doubled, so please give as much as you can.

Even though GI cancers kill 37 Australians every day, they don’t get the funding they deserve. Less funding means less research, which in turn, affects survival rates.

The GI Cancer Institute is the only organisation in Australia committed to finding better treatments and cures for all GI cancers – and we urgently need your help to fund them.

With your help and advocacy, I’m confident we will progress faster in the next few years than we have done in the past few decades.