Professor Richard Scolyer tells of how he is spending his time as he raises awareness of brain cancer

Former Australian of the Year Professor Richard Scolyer has told of how he is cherishing every moment he has with his family after his aggressive brain cancer returned.

Former Australian of the Year and renowned pathologist Professor Richard Scolyer has told of how he is cherishing every moment he has with his family after his aggressive brain cancer returned.

He became emotional as he spoke of how he has been moved by the kindness his three children Emily, Matthew and Lucy have shown him, as he battles an incurable stage 4 glioblastoma.

“They’ve been incredibly kind to me now. They’ve always been kind, but what they’re doing, it blows me away how generous and kind they are, taking time away from various activities to come and spend time with me,” he told The Australian Women’s Weekly.

“I’m starting to cry as I speak about it because they have such wonderful lives and giving some of that time up to spend time with me makes me feel very happy.

“We get to spend time together and do some fun things and go outside, even if it’s just taking the dog for a walk or going down to parkrun.”

Professor Richard Scolyer with his family. Picture: Facebook

In June 2023, the Melanoma Institute co-director was diagnosed with brain cancer and revealed publicly he would fight the disease with an experimental treatment.

The initial prognosis was good, with scans coming back clear. However, in March this year, the 58-year-old revealed the aggressive glioblastoma had returned and his doctors told him he had three months left to live.

“When I first went open with the journey, I thought, ‘I’m not going to be here very long, I want to leave something to my kids to let them know about what I went through,” he said.

“At the same time, I was getting bombarded with text messages. I couldn’t answer them all. Those two reasons together were the rationale for why I went public.

“I thought it was just going to be my friends, but it got bigger and bigger, and more and more people were interested. It’s definitely touched my heart that people want to know more.”

Professor Richard Scolyer finishes his 250th Parkrun with wife Kate at Richard Murden Reserve in Haberfield. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Scolyer is hopeful the experimental treatment he received may go on to “make a difference in the future”, although he acknowledges more work needs to be done.

“From my tumour we’ve been able to generate scientific data that gives hope that this type of treatment might work for other patients,” he said.

“But I’m only one patient. It needs to be done formally as a clinical trial of a larger group of patients.”

“It’s having a big impact on the industry too. It’s raised awareness. It’s not going to keep me alive, but most people wouldn’t be alive at this stage with this kind of cancer.

“For whatever reason, I’m still doing pretty well.”

Three months after being told he had three months to live, the Professor completed his 250th parkrun, a 5km free fun-run that helps him deal with the effects of the cancer and his ongoing treatment.

“I’m alive today, and still able to contribute to society so I think it’s important for me to stand up and keep pushing to make a difference for this disease,” he said.

“It’s very touching hearing from people who have lost loved ones or are patients themselves. It makes me realise that I am not alone in this and so many of us face challenges in life.”

Originally published as Professor Richard Scolyer tells of how he is spending his time as he raises awareness of brain cancer