Jack Bemrose: Woombye boy diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma

A Sunshine Coast dad has recalled the moment he made a dash to the Queensland Children’s Hospital after his son’s surgery to remove a cancerous tumour took a deadly turn.

A Woombye father has told of his mad dash down to Brisbane from the Sunshine Coast after being told his son’s surgery to remove a cancerous tumour resulted in the loss of part of his bowel.

Jack Bemrose, 7, had been suffering from a stomach ache when he was taken to Nambour Hospital in early August 2022, where his dad Michael Bemrose said their family was opened up to the horrible world of cancer.

He didn’t mince his words when talking about the deadly illness that had struck down his son in the form of Burkitt’s lymphoma.

“When it comes down to it, cancer can go f--- itself,” Mr Bemrose said.

“When it gets someone, it f---ing gets them.”

The pain in the stomach for Jack, who celebrated his eight birthday in a hospital ward this week, was caught early by doctors during a surgery to fix a stomach fold called intussusception, but they they found a tumour inside the youngster.

Mr Bemrose and his partner Melissa Williams took Jack to Sunshine Coast University Hospital two days after this initial visit, but the eight-year-old was rushed to Queensland Children’s Hospital on August 4, 2022.

He underwent emergency surgery where they removed the tumour and took part of his bowel, appendix and intestines.

Mr Bemrose was working his job as a pressure cleaner in Woombye after being told it was minor surgery, only to be later contacted and told that his son’s operation had become quite serious.

“I chucked my gear in my ute and in the trailer, and I just remember getting on the road, angry, yelling, and just trying to calm myself down because I wanted to get down there as soon as I could,” he said.

“When you get a call like that it’s something a father doesn’t want to hear.

“This was the most horrible drive down, you ask yourself why you weren’t there, and it hurts.”

Mr Bemrose recalled seeing his son smiling prior to the surgery but after his arrival at the hospital he saw him connected to medical equipment with blood marks all over him.

Jack recovered from his surgery but was immediately placed on chemotherapy, which doctors say has a great chance of defeating the aggressive cancer with a good survival rate.

Woombye eight-year-old Jack Bemrose in hospital. Picture: Contributed

Mr Bemrose and his partner wanted to thank the doctors, Ronald McDonald house, social workers, family, friends and Sunshine Coast community who have since come to their aid as they’re by Jack’s side.

“They’ve been an absolute godsend, they’ve saved us,” he said.

Jack now has a tough journey ahead of him with months of chemotherapy expected.

The eight-year-old went from playing chess, training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and riding his BMX bike, to barely being able to walk down the stairs due to him being frail, according to his dad.

Mr Bemrose said it was hard for him and his partner to see their son go through the devastating effects of chemotherapy, but said this would be the only way of battling Burkitt’s lymphoma.

They also wanted to raise awareness for other families in Australia who have young ones fighting their own battles with cancer.

A GoFundMe has since been created to help the Woombye family with bills and costs while they help Jack with his recovery.

You can donate here.