Wayne Crouch of Tyalgum reveals border battle anguish

A Northern Rivers resident whose cancer went undiagnosed for seven years says he’s worried he will not be allowed across the border for treatments at the Gold Coast.

BORDER CONCERN: Northern Rivers resident Wayne Crouch is undergoing cancer treatment in Queensland and is very concerned that as his ill health means he cannot have a Covid vaccination he may be unable to cross into Queensland to appointments at the Gold Coast University Hospital.

A Northern Rivers man who is battling cancer said he is frightened he will lose access to his “wonderful” medical team the Gold Coast due to border lockdown, as his condition precludes him from the Covid vaccination.

Wayne Crouch, 44, who lives at Back Creek, southwest of Tyalgum, said his ongoing treatment to eradicate squamous cell carcinoma in his throat and mouth meant he was unable to have any Covid vaccines.

He is devastated lockdowns may prevent him going to Queensland.

Mr Crouch said the uncertainty of not knowing whether he could attend his next appointment on September 7 was extremely worrying.

“I am completely and utterly distraught and angry,” he said,

“I have been fortunate to be treated by a wonderful medical team in the Ear, Nose and Throat department at GCUH.

“My doctors have told me they do not advise me to have the vaccinations due to my condition, I have no saliva glands left.”

FRIGHTENED: After seven years of “falling through the cracks,” including misdiagnosis, Northern Rivers resident Wayne Crouch is undergoing cancer treatment in Queensland. He is concerned that as his ill health means he cannot have a Covid vaccination he may not be able to cross into Queensland to appointments at the Gold Coast University Hospital.

When approached for a comment on Mr Crouch’s matter, a Gold Coast Health spokesman said: “Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot comment on individual cases.”

“As a result of the border closure, there have been some temporary changes to our services for patients from New South Wales, to reduce the Covid-19 infection risk,” the spokesman said.

“Until the borders reopen, Gold Coast Health will not accept any new Category 2 or Category 3 referrals for residents of NSW.

“We will continue to treat Category 1 patients.

“We are currently reviewing all scheduled outpatient appointments for patients from NSW.

“Where possible, these appointments will be conducted via telehealth, however some non-urgent appointments may need to be rescheduled or replaced by services identified in NSW.

“Urgent cases will be seen in-person, in line with the border directive.”

But Mr Crouch said a key reason he was desperate to continue travelling to Queensland was that he spent years “falling through the cracks” of healthcare, because doctors had initially diagnosed him with tonsillitis in 2013.

Seven long, painful years of illness followed before he was correctly diagnosed with cancer.

Now Mr Crouch admits to being frightened if he could not continue to be treated by a medical team which understood his illness and was familiar with his treatments.

“It took me a long time to build up trust as I have fallen through the cracks so many times,” he said.

“But now I am lucky to have a wonderful team including oncologists and other specialists.

“If Queensland Health can help me, this means it can help other people.”

Mr Crouch has been through tough times with his treatments.

“I’d be throwing up next to my car in between radiation sessions,” he said.

“It was sometimes six long hours in between sessions and I’d feel like I was going to die.”

“Before I became ill I weighed 133kg, could bench press 120kg and now after radiation treatment and the drugs I’m down to 65kg.”