Aussie man’s horror diagnosis after Japan trip

Greg had just returned from a two-week trip to Japan when he felt something “funny” in his abdomen. He’s now fighting for his life.

Aussie man’s horror diagnosis after Japan trip.

Greg Davis had just returned from a two-week trip to Japan when he began to feel something unusual with his abdomen.

The 33-year-old and his wife Kymberley, 34, from Perth, were living it up in the tourist hotspot, exploring Tokyo, Nagano, Osaka and Kyoto in January this year.

“The whole time we were away Greg felt totally fine,” Kymberley told news.com.au.

But there was one thing she noticed that raised her suspicion. Despite indulging in all the amazing Japanese food, she said he suddenly began to lose weight.

Greg Davis, 33, and his wife Kymberley, had just returned from Japan when their lives turned upside down.

When the duo returned home, Greg began to complain about a “mild sensation” in his abdomen where his liver is located — and by then had lost about 3kg.

“We thought maybe he had a parasite as we had also gone to Bali just a few months before in December,” Kymberley said.

The pair were adamant it was just a travel bug, but when Greg returned to work the following week, he had completely lost his appetite.

“He wasn’t feeling hungry at all,” Kymberley said.

“He would drink about 3L of water a day and that would make him feel nauseous. His urine was also very dark.”

Alarm bells started to ring when Greg wasn’t eating much on their trip.

When Greg lost another 2kg, he took himself to his local GP where it was later revealed he had Stage 4 metastatic melanoma.

“The news knocked us off our feet,” a devastated Kymberley told news.com.au.

The cancer stemmed from a mole Greg had removed three years earlier, following a separate trip to Bali in 2019.

She said he followed all the necessary procedures, not only removing the mole but also undergoing a surgical excision of the surrounding skin and having two lymph nodes removed to ensure the complete eradication of any potential cancer cells.

“The mole produced cancer cells that just spread. He was having regular PET scans (latest in May 2022) and none showed any cancerous cells.”

He was feeling nauseous and suddenly lost about 5kg.

Kymberley said “it was laying dormant” until they returned from Japan.

“We suspect it may have started a few months before.”

Greg was given the heartbreaking diagnosis that he had Stage 4 cancer in April this year when he was on his way to rural WA for work.

The 33-year-old is an operations technician for an oil and gas company.

“The GP was feeling his abdomen and had also felt his liver, which is abnormal. She could tell it was inflamed,” Kymberley said.

Greg underwent different liver and blood tests and the results of the liver tests came back “abnormally high”.

Greg had just landed at Karratha airport for work when he turned on his phone to a bunch of missed calls and voice messages from his GP.

“She left him a message saying if he had gone to work, he needed to come back home now,” Kymberley said.

“This was when we knew something was wrong as it’s always concerning when your GP calls you not long after a test.

“You always downplay it and we just kept saying, ‘it’s probably gallbladder issues’.”

The couple thought he had a travel bug but it was later revealed he had Stage 4 metastatic melanoma.

However, to their shock and horror he had extensive cancer in his liver. An MRI also revealed cancerous cells in his brain.

A liver biopsy confirmed the type of cancer — melanoma.

“The really sad thing is before every scan and doctors appointment we downplayed it because you never think it’s going to end up being that bad,” Kymberley said.

“We just couldn’t believe it (spread to his brain). He is incredibly fit and healthy. He didn’t have any pain or a drop in his fitness — he was still training almost every day.

“There was nothing to indicate it spread anywhere — no headaches, or anything. [So] when we were told it was in his brain, it was the worst day of our lives.”

Greg has since undergone 12 weeks of immunotherapy to reduce the amount of cancerous cells.

The 33-year-old will need to have lifesaving brain surgery to remove the 2cm cancer lesion.

And while he responded well with some of the lesions having reduced or disappeared, one lesion in his brain increased in size and is now becoming an immediate danger to Greg.

Following this devastating news, they met with a neurosurgeon who told Greg he will need to have lifesaving brain surgery to remove the 2cm cancer lesion located in the cerebral cortex.

The 33-year-old is booked to have the operation on August 17 at Mount Hospital in Perth.

“They will cut a hole in the skull, go into the brain to the area of the lesion and remove it,” Kymberley explained.

“Then closing the skull with titanium rods and leaving a cosmetic scar on the scalp.

“The aim of the surgery is to remove the lesion, due to its increasing size. We want to remove it before it begins to impact Greg’s motor function in his left arm/hand.”

Kymberley said if it’s not removed, “it will eventually kill him due to a blockage or haemorrhage of arteries in the brain”.

Friends of the couple, Jess and Damien, have started a GoFundMe to help with financial pressures.

“Every contribution not only helps alleviate the financial strain that comes with such a situation, such as medical bills, treatment costs and rehabilitation, but will also allow Kym to take further time off work to care for and spend time with the love of her life,” Jess wrote on the page.

So far, $14,730 out of the $20,000 target has been raised.

“We know this target is ambitious, but no one, let alone a couple in their early 30s should have to experience what they are going through,” Jess added.

“[And] if we can all work together to alleviate some of the financial burden, it might just make their journey that bit more tolerable.”