‘I planned for my demise’: Popular principal James Watt faces life and death cancer fight

After losing his father at just 40 years of age, Gympie principal James Watt used to joke uncomfortably with his wife that she would only have him until he was the same age. When he turned 39 in hospital after going through life-saving surgery, Mr Watt was reeling from his own cancer battle.

After losing his father at just 40 years of age to pancreatic cancer, James Watt used to joke uncomfortably with his wife that she would only have him until he was the same age.

When he turned 39 in hospital after going through life-saving surgery, the Jones Hill State School principal was reeling from his own cancer battle which he admits was “a little close for comfort”.

Seven years on, the mild-mannered father to three girls is feeling lucky for every new day, and keen to share his story of darkness into hope as the face of the 2021 Gympie Relay for Life.

“I had an irritable bowel so my wife kept harassing me to go to the gastro (doctor), which I did. He did the scope and said the gastro stuff was the least of my worries, they’d found a little lesion,” Mr Watt said.

“He didn’t want to speculate but he said Barrett’s oesophagus was the most likely outcome.

“I went home and found a lot of things on Dr Google, and it basically said 10 to 15 per cent of people live past three to five years and the rest die. I was pretty convinced that was it.

Gympie community to unite for special retro-themed Relay for Life

“I went back … and they said it’s cancer. We were supposed to be going to Cape York on a family trip, but I had to go straight to Brisbane the next week. It was all a bit surreal, it was such a whirlwind.”

In the throes of past trauma and convinced his own diagnosis would mean his kids went through the same difficulties, Mr Watt went to some dark places in the lead-up to a lengthy stay in hospital and major surgery.

“I remember what it was like for me growing up without a father, the stuff that would be said to you, so the hardest thing was looking at my three girls at breakfast and thinking I’d have to say the same stuff to them,” Mr Watt said.

“Like all rational people, I planned for my demise. I planned to sell the house so my wife wouldn’t have to look after our acreage, all those things. My doctor told me to relax and … stay positive, we would see what could be done.”

What followed was a 21-day ordeal in a Brisbane hospital, with surgeries requiring the removal of Mr Watt’s oesophagus, part of his stomach, disconnection of his bowel and deflation of his lung.

After that was an even lengthier recovery, but Mr Watt always considered himself “very lucky” because he was cancer free.

The ordeal gave Mr Watt a “realisation of what’s important in life”, as well as an appreciation for life itself.

Mr Watt said he wanted to share his message of going to the doctor and getting health checks as the face of this year’s Gympie Relay for Life.

“Don’t be that typical Australian bloke and not go to the doctors because it’s not what you do. If I hadn’t have gone, if my wife hadn’t have badgered me, I’d be dead,” he said.

“I didn’t put my hand up to be the face originally, but I’d been involved through school and passionate about raising money.

“We’ve always done it through school, and I think I got more involved as my girls understood a bit more and started taking it quite seriously.

“What always brings me undone is the candlelight ceremony, when they write on the bag that they’re doing it for me.

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“I’ve started to talk about it a lot more in recent years. The importance with my message is that early diagnosis, early action.

“I think the Relay will be great, especially after last year when Covid shut everything down. It will be good to get people out and about and not forgetting that people are still going through everything.”

The 2021 Relay for Life will be held at the Gympie South State School from 12pm to 9pm on October 30.

To register a team, volunteer, or find out more, visit www.relayforlife.org.au or call 1300 65 65 85.

More information about Cancer Council Queensland is available via www.cancerqld.org.au or 13 11 20.