Adelaide woman Natalie Sait’s fight to find a cure after losing soulmate Travis Harrison to brain cancer

Five years ago Natalie Sait lost her childhood sweetheart to an incurable cancer. Now she’s raising funds to find a cure.

At 36, you never imagine losing your soulmate but this became a reality for Natalie Sait after her childhood sweetheart, Travis Harrison, was diagnosed with an incurable cancer in 2017.

After being rushed to hospital with stroke-like symptoms, Travis underwent brain surgery and later diagnosed with anaplastic astrocytoma, a grade three brain tumour, changing their lives forever.

“It was quite a shock, he’d actually been in Tasmania working up on the power lines, and the boys thought he was having a stroke, so they rushed him to hospital,” Ms Sait said.

“He had a cold for two weeks, and he never ever got sick, so they ran tests at the hospital but there were no symptoms, no signs.

“Brain cancer, unfortunately, once malignant, doesn’t have an ultimate cure and has very low survival rates, so we knew what we were faced with.”

Natalie and Travis met as teens in Adelaide before rekindling their romance as adults almost two decades later. Picture: Supplied

Travis was always up for a laugh. Picture: Supplied

It was a devastating diagnosis for the pair who had only reconnected three years earlier in Melbourne almost two decades since their love story began in Adelaide as teens.

“It was definitely surprising when we got together because we hadn’t been together for a very long time but he was my soulmate, my best friend, my rock,” she said.

“I must have been 13 [when we first met] so it was one of those childhood crushes that back then isn’t really anything, just one of those blush when you see the other person at a party or Blue Light disco.

“He was totally cheeky, quite shy, but very cheeky. He always stood up for what was right, whether it made him unfavourable, and he was just a really incredible human being.”

For three years, they lived a happy life in Melbourne and were regulars at the footy. Travis was a keen Port fan. Picture: Supplied

Despite having the odds stacked against him, Travis was a “trooper” throughout his treatment, undergoing surgery to remove the tumour before starting radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Unable to work, he “still lived a very full life” volunteering to help the homeless, strength training and adopting a rescue cat named Kris Cat.

All was going well until exactly one year to the day, the tumour returned.

Travis was rushed to surgery which went “exceptionally well” however two weeks later the tumour doubled in size, leaving the pair shattered.

“Unfortunately due to some unique DNA markers – and what I call a very sneaky cancer – the tumour actually doubled in size two weeks after it had been removed which was pretty tough,” Ms Sait said.

Travis was a “trooper” until the very end. Picture: Supplied

In 2019, Travis sadly lost his battle with the disease but his memory lives on through Ms Sait, who has since become an advocate for brain cancer.

On Friday, she celebrated what would have been his 45th birthday at his favourite place, Brighton Beach, and will walk in his honour at the annual Walk4BrainCancer to raise funds for a cure on Sunday.

So far she has raised over $4,500, surpassing her goal of $3,500 to help find “much needed” treatments for those fighting cancer.

Growing up in Brighton, Travis loved going for walks down at the beach. Picture: Supplied

Celebrating Travis’ birthday at Brighton Beach has become a tradition for Ms Sait. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Reflecting on their romance, Ms Sait said he would always have a special place in her heart and looked forward to inviting more love into her life.

“It’s not about moving on, it’s about moving forward,” she said.

“There are so many levels of love, and you love people in very different ways and you can’t ever replace a relationship.

“He’s a tough act to follow but there is someone special that is bringing more love into my life”

You can donate to Natalie’s fundraiser, here.

Originally published as Adelaide woman Natalie Sait’s fight to find a cure after losing soulmate Travis Harrison to brain cancer