Australian Army major and cancer survivor Hugo Toovey’s early detection proposal

After battling cancer twice before 30, Hugo Toovey is calling on governments to enact a major change ahead of a predicted “epidemic” of early-onset cases.

Australian Army major and new dad Hugo Toovey is leading the charge for early cancer detection with a bold new plan.

Encouraging young people to be proactive with their health is a passion close to his heart, after all.

At 32, he’s battled cancer twice — crediting his fight against testicular cancer at 21 for saving his life against bowel cancer at 26.

“If it wasn’t for testicular cancer, I probably wouldn’t be here today and that’s just the honest truth,” Mr Toovey told The Advertiser.

In the years since his double diagnosis and amid ongoing health struggles, he has been spreading the word about early detection across schools, through his podcast Behind the Uniform and via his global health movement 25stayalive.

Now, he’s taking the message one step further, proposing a new government initiative he hopes will roll out in Adelaide soon with the help of local GPs.

Australian Army major Hugo Toovey with his dogs Ernie and Iggy. Picture: Adam Yip

Mr Toovey’s story began in 2013 when at 21 years old, he noticed a pea-sized lump on his testicle.

By the time he had it checked six months later, he was diagnosed with stage-three testicular cancer, which had spread to his abdomen and lungs.

Five years later, when he started noticing unusual stomach symptoms, he wasted no time getting checked. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer, but this time, it had no chance to spread.

After months of chemotherapy and invasive surgeries, Mr Toovey is cancer-free, but still lives with health complications including Crohn’s disease.

“I’ve still got some active treatments and some health hurdles, but as cliche as that sounds, I’m still here,” he said.

Hugo Toovey and his wife Amber. Picture: Instagram

Mr Toovey has battled cancer twice — but now he faces a different fight. Picture: Instagram

While he “learnt the hard way”, it doesn’t have to be the same for others, he insists.

“You don’t have to go through what I’ve gone through.

“Even if you’re feeling pretty fit and healthy, you can still be proactive with your health … As I say in my presentations, there’s no better feeling of walking out of a GP having a new checkout with a clean bill of health.”

As a drastic predicted increase in cancer cases among Aussies under 50 threatens to overwhelm our hospitals in the coming years, Mr Toovey is pushing support for a new system to ease the pressure and save lives, in the form of a “checklist” sent to Aussies when they turn 25.

“I would love to see more of an emphasis from young people having full check-ups with their GP,” he said.

“I am currently in early talks with the government and I am looking to meet up with (opposition spokeswoman for preventive health) Penny Pratt to discuss a new initiative.

“The way I see it working is when you turn 25 you’re sent through your MyGov message system a happy birthday message with an information package of all the ‘did you knows’.

“‘Did you know you fall into this demographic?’, and ‘did you know that these cancers are prevalent with the younger demographic?’, but more importantly it will give you a list of local GPs in your postcode who offer full check ups.”

He explained: “You’re having your full blood count, checking your blood pressure, you’re having a few other tests and there might be a few little red flags that pop up and you might be referred to a specialist. But mainly, you’re setting yourself up for later on in life.”

Anecdotally, he said 20-somethings aren’t typically heading to the GP as regularly as they should be, with hopes an official alert will encourage them to do so.

“A lot of mates I talk to wouldn’t have seen a GP for years. When you’re in your 20s it’s often at an age where it’s not really a priority,” he said, explaining that in some unfortunate circumstances, GPs turn them away or “make them feel silly” for wanting comprehensive check ups.

“I appreciate like any profession they’ll be great GPs and there might be not-so-good GPs, that’s where we’re developing a bit of a five point checklist and partnering with certain GPs who want to be involved,” he said, naming Dr Lane Hinchcliffe from The Health Hub in Glenelg as a doctor he works closely with in his advocacy.

“We’re hoping to do a bit of a trial (of the checklist) later on this year in Adelaide with (Dr Hinchcliffe’s) clinic,” he revealed.

The Advertiser recently featured its Too Young for Cancer campaign, raising awareness of the staggering rise of Aussies under 50 being diagnosed with cancer.

It amplified the stories of five women who were each told they were “too young for cancer” on a trip to the GP, with their health concerns dismissed only to result in late-stage diagnoses.

For Mr Toovey, who welcomed baby Teddy with wife Amber in March, this is exactly what he hopes to change.

“Something that I pass on is, you know your body better than anyone. If there’s any changes to your body, and it’s been there for two weeks, that’s a pretty good indication that you should probably go off to see your doctor.”

Having been dealt the unthinkable in his 20s — a time when friends were travelling the world and advancing in their careers — Mr Toovey is as passionate about mental health awareness as he is early cancer detection, offering sage words of advice for others who are “too young for cancer”.

“I’ve certainly had my fair share of bad days and I still have days where I struggle, but the biggest advice is holding on to a little bit of hope,” he said.

Hugo and Amber welcomed son Teddy in March. Picture: Instagram

“There are some days, and I’ve been there, where you can’t really see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I used to compare myself with others. And when you’re going through treatment and you’re in a pretty bad place, comparing yourself to others on social media is not the best thing to do.

“Instead, I compare myself to myself, when I was at my absolute lowest.

“I’ve got this photo of myself where I look like this destroyed man, and I look at it and compare myself to where I am now and think ‘this too shall pass’.”