Luke Henderson’s health journey ahead of Cancer Council Relay for Life

A Queensland dad has detailed his horrific cancer experience, which included watching a white T-shirt turn red as he leaked blood, hallucinations that still haunt him and why he detests being called a fighter. WARNING: GRAPHIC

Luke Henderson is a pancreatic cancer survivor who is now working for the Cancer Council Queensland on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Having secured his dream job and moved his young family from regional Victoria to Queensland, Luke Henderson was not prepared for the hellish nightmare that awaited him.

Since his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in late 2023, he has been living with a strong case of “survivors’ guilt” and a growing hatred for being labelled a fighter.

“I was lucky enough to survive,” Mr Henderson explained.

“But I really don’t like being called a strong or tough fighter for it.

“Lots of Aussies have fought just as hard as I did and died from cancer.”

The 43-year-old of Pelican Waters was the chief executive of a national not-for-profit when he found himself at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital with severe abdominal pain and a diagnosis of kidney stones.

Doctors also found a growth on his pancreas and advised him to follow up with a doctor.

Urged on by his wife, he begrudgingly visited his GP who organised additional scans and blood work.

Following a referral to a general surgeon, Mr Henderson was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer with four inflamed lymph nodes on September 20, 2023.

Luke Henderson has detailed his pancreatic cancer journey without sparing any of the details of what surviving cancer really means to him. Picture: Patrick Woods.

He was scheduled for surgery on January 2 this year.

“My stomach and bile duct were entirely taken apart and rearranged,” Mr Henderson said.

“I was told not to research and google but of course you do.

“It was very doom and gloom.”

What was supposed to be a 15-day hospital stay turned into something much more prolonged.

In the days after surgery he developed complications when his pancreas detached leading to bile leaking into his body.

“My body became septic from the bile leak. I had three other surgeries to fix it,” Mr Henderson said.

He was able to leave hospital on January 30 with two surgical drains, but hours later was rushed back to hospital and then flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital with severe blood loss from his surgical wounds.

Mr Henderson said he would never forget that day.

“I was home for three hours and thought the worst was behind us,” he said.

“I was on the couch with my children and wife when my white T-shirt turned red.

“My body was leaking blood. It was like something from a horror movie. It looked like I’d been stabbed.”

Once back in hospital Mr Henderson started vomiting up more bright red blood.

“I’d burst an artery,” he said.

“I remember being put into the helicopter. They said I deteriorated while in the air.

“They used over 30 bags of blood to keep me alive. I just kept spewing and leaking blood.”

Medical staff called Mr Henderson’s wife and warned her of the grave seriousness of his condition.

“In Brisbane they discovered my insides were worse than they thought,” he said.

“Turns out I was one of the 10 per cent people who have two of these arteries. Thankfully only one of them had burst.

“I don’t know how but they stopped the leaking and saved me.

“Then I had to be put into a coma for 10 days because they couldn’t sew me back together yet. I was too soft and like a car wreck inside.”

After nearly three weeks in the ICU, Mr Henderson was moved to the general ward.

His purgatory reality was complicated by an infection.

Luke Henderson began working for the Cancer Council Queensland after his own pancreatic diagnosis. Picture: Patrick Woods.

All the while this was happening Mr Henderson was also having an adverse reaction the heavy pain medication he was administered at hospital.

He was fighting for his life in more ways than one.

“It caused hallucinations. It was like one never-ending night terror,” he said.

“I remember monsters and ghosts chasing me around the hospital.

“I thought they were going to kill me.

“Those were some of the more tame hallucinations though. I had other awful nightmarish terrors of self harm and worse.”

After 83 nights in hospital, Mr Henderson was discharged in April, with six drains attached to his body, and began the long and challenging road to recovery.

Mr Henderson is receiving ongoing psychological support as the memories of hospital still haunt him.

He cannot eat red meat or green vegetables, has to be wary of foods too high in fat and takes a tablet before every meal to help digest his food.

“It’s all very different but it’s taught me a lot,” Mr Henderson said.

“I appreciate the small things more.”

By June, Mr Henderson was given the all clear and was ready to return to work.

He joined Cancer Council Queensland as a regional development specialist, a role that focused on raising awareness of Cancer Council Queensland’s research, prevention, and support services.

Mr Henderson and his family will take part in the Sunshine Coast Relay for Life this October to continue raising awareness and mark the journey they have been on over the past 12 months.

“I am one of the lucky ones because my cancer was detected early. If I hadn’t listened to my wife and followed by in September 2023, I might not be here to tell my story,” he said.

“My advice is if you’re not feeling great in any way go to the doctors. Your health is everything.

“Otherwise it could be too late.

“Men especially aren’t great at following up with doctors.

“The worst they can say is you’re fine. It’s better to hear that there’s nothing wrong than that it’s too late.”

Originally published as Luke Henderson’s health journey ahead of Cancer Council Relay for Life