“She basically said to me, ‘I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Jo – I reckon you’d be compatible, but the only problem is she lives in Melbourne’,’’ Scott recalls.

It was before the days of email, Facebook and Tinder, so Scott picked up the phone and made a call. And it was a decision that changed the trajectory of his life.

“I plucked up the courage and asked her if she’d like to go for a drink,’’ Scott recalls.

He was heading to Melbourne anyway, and thought it couldn’t hurt to meet Jo – a fellow Tasmanian – while he was there. They swapped photos – by post – and soon had their first date in Melbourne.

“We clicked and it all started from there,’’ Scott says.

Scott moved to Melbourne, where Jo was working in real estate, and after 10 months they moved to Hobart.

Jo had grown up on a farm in Tasmania’s North-West and had always considered Tassie home. They got married, and a year later son Sam was born, followed by Luke three years later.

Scott slotted back into working for the Beacon Foundation, where he’d worked before his brief foray into sales, while Jo continued working in real estate, a career she was passionate about.

Things couldn’t have been tracking more perfectly.

But then one terrifying word – cancer – rocked their world in June, 2019, and thrust the family into what Scott describes as a harrowing nightmare of emotional torture.

Jo, a seemingly fit and healthy 47-year-old, known by everyone for her “positivity and beautiful smile” was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer and told she only had 12 months to live.

“She was a fit, healthy, very busy mum,’’ Scott recalls.

“I went on a work trip, and Jo came with me.

“We had a dinner in Sydney, and after dinner we were going to go out for a drink but she was too tired.

“She was just feeling exhausted, she’d been working seven days in real estate, so we just put it down to that.

“But the next day at breakfast she found two little lumps in her neck.’’

Doctors initially thought Jo had an infection and prescribed antibiotics, before further tests.

“We got called into the hospital on a Saturday,’’ Scott recalls.

“We knew then that it wasn’t good. We were told, ‘You’ve got cancer, we’re not sure where it is exactly, there are a couple of likely areas but it’s not good’.”

In a blur of shock and disbelief, Scott headed off to watch Sam, then 17, play football, while Jo watched son Luke, then 14, play basketball.

“It was just totally out of the blue,’’ Scott recalls.

“Then bang, just like that, our whole world has just turned upside down.’’

The days, months and years that followed were “emotional torture for us, and physical and emotional torture for Jo’’.

“We went from appointment to appointment – the first thing was to identify exactly what Jo had … there was talk of bowel cancer, of Hodgkin’s lymphoma … there was a whole series of operations and tests and eventually we got the ovarian cancer diagnosis.

“You’re like a zombie, just progressing to each of these appointments.

“I can’t describe it adequately, it’s just the most horrendous thing.

“We just thought ‘what have we done to have this happen to us?’ You soon realise you’re just in a total fight for your life.

“And you do whatever you can do for survival.’’

In November, 2019, after almost six months of treatment, Jo was told her cancer was in remission.

But any relief was short-lived as the cancer returned five months later.

“We battled each time, or Jo did. She fought a massive fight,’’ Scott says.

Jo had a radical hysterectomy, she lost her spleen, she had a stoma and a catheter, among other invasive treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy, which Scott says were “all things that had a massive personal sacrifice in her life, just to spend more time with her children’’.

But “in the end, it all just got too much’’.

Jo died on April 23 last year at age 51, with Scott by her side.

A celebration of her life was held at MyState Bank Arena, where the usually boisterous Tasmania JackJumpers nest was hushed as more than 1000 mourners came together to honour Jo, who was remembered as a selfless and courageous woman who was always there for others – especially her boys.

Scott was left with the incomprehensible task of navigating the grief of losing the love of his life, while also supporting two teenage sons grieving the loss of their beloved mum.

He says the outpouring of love and support from the people who rallied behind the family helped immensely.

“I’ve done plenty of moping around, feeling sorry for myself,’’ Scott admits.

“Especially in the early days.

“But I’ve got two reason to make sure I keep going and make sure I keep pushing hard, and that’s been the two boys.’’

And having something else to focus on – to honour Jo’s legacy – has also helped.

Throughout her illness, Jo partnered with local gynaecological cancer group SHE (Support, Hope and Education) and became the face of a campaign to have a wellness centre built in Hobart, to provide much-needed support to cancer patients and their families.

Scott, now the chair of SHE, is continuing the fight in Jo’s honour.

The project – a partnership between the Tasmanian government, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, the University of Tasmania and SHE, has gained significant momentum, with Hobart’s former Theatre Royal Hotel, owned by UTAS, identified last month as the site for the new centre.

The Harris family will also be honoured this weekend at the Tasmania JackJumpers’ annual teal round, which raises awareness and funds for gynaecological cancers (Scott is a JackJumpers board member).

“When we first got our diagnosis, Jo sort of looked at me and said ‘it can go one of two ways – we can just go underground and deal with this, or we can do some good’,’’ Scott recalls.

“She said ‘the reality is Scott, I’m not going to be around for too long.

“And as much as I’ll fight and fight’ – she had great motivation for living for her two boys – ‘the reality is, can I try and make a difference using my situation?’.’’

Scott describes Jo as a “very humble, quiet, unassuming type’’ but she was determined to create change, despite her dire situation.

“Jo would often say, ‘If it’s not me with this disease it would be someone else’,’’ Scott says.

“This was profound for me and summed up her selfless style.”

They discovered SHE on Facebook and contacted the organisation to get involved. The more they learnt about gynaecological cancers, the more they were staggered.

While many other cancers have seen huge advances when it comes to detection, treatment and survival, there is still no early detection test for most gynaecological cancers (except for cervical cancer screenings) and the five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is still the same as it was in 1979.

About 6800 women in Australia will be diagnosed with gynaecological cancer this year, and each day 19 women die from ovarian, uterine, cervical, vaginal, vulvar and two rare pregnancy cancers combined.

About 1720 Australians are diagnosed annually with ovarian cancer – an average of four a day – and less than half survive beyond five years.

So, when a friend of the Harris family, Sean Stevenson, offered to organise a fundraising event for SHE at Glen Albyn Estate at Taroona in May, 2021, Tasmanians touched by Jo’s cancer fight opened their hearts and wallets.

A dinner for 258 people sold out, bidding for auction items went gangbusters, and more than $342,000 was raised for SHE and the wellness centre.

Jo and Scott were stunned.

Scott said at the time that it was “bittersweet” and one of the most emotional moments of his life.

“It was so humbling for all of us to see how much our community of friends and family care about us,” he told the Mercury after the event.

“It was especially powerful for our boys to see how loved and well-regarded their mum is.

“Jo stepping off the stage to a standing ovation after delivering such a powerful address to the group was totally inspiring.

“It was so amazing to see Jo’s star shine, albeit at such a difficult time.”

Reflecting on the event now, he says it was “just the most magical night of support’’.

“I had just been appointed to the board of the JackJumpers, who were there on the night,’’ Scott recalls.

“Christine Finnegan, the (JackJumpers) CEO, was quite caught up in the emotion of it all, as were others.’’

Finnegan wanted to use the power of sport and the popularity of the JackJumpers to do something special to support the Harris family and their chosen charity.

And that’s where the idea for a teal-themed JackJumpers game originated.

The first teal game was held in 2022, with players, coaches and fans embracing the cause.

Jo and Scott were buoyed by the outpouring of support on the day, but Scott says the best part was seeing the wide-reaching impact, long after the final siren had sounded.

“Importantly, it was the awareness,’’ Scott explains.

“About a month after the teal game, a lady in the supermarket, at Shoreline, came up to me and said, ‘look, I went to that teal game and I’ve had persistent issues of bloating and it made me go off and get an appointment at the doctor.’

“And they found a cyst on her ovaries – it was benign but she said, ‘I want to thank you for the fact you’ve created this awareness that has led me to go off to the doctor’.’’

Similar stories emerged from other women, thankful to have had the nudge they needed to get their health checked.

“Women have played a pretty important role in my life, and they do every day for all of us,’’ Scott says.

“And there needs to be greater support.

“Often women are selfless in their approach, they are too busy with kids and everything else that’s going on, they are too busy to get their health checked, and we all have a role to play in that.’’

The teal round has continued to grow.

Last year players wore teal jerseys, something they will do again this Saturday when the JackJumpers take on Perth Wildcats at MyState Bank Arena.

Jo and Scott were courtside for the first two teal rounds, and this will be the first year Jo won’t be by Scott’s side.

The duo briefed players in the lead-up to the last two teal games, and this year, Scott did that briefing on his own, something he describes as “incredibly hard”.

He says the atmosphere and emotion at last year’s teal game was “like nothing I’ve ever seen before’’.

In emotional post-game scenes, JackJumpers coach Scott Roth embraced Scott and Jo Harris in front of a packed arena, and the game raised about $50,000 for SHE.

Scott will have his sons by his side at this weekend’s teal match.

“There’s a bit of sadness on the day,’’ he says.

“There will be a few tears shed, I’m sure, but knowing the impact we’re having outweighs any of that sadness.’’

Jo’s name is etched on the shoulder of this year’s teal jersey, which Scott says is an “incredible tribute”.

“I was taken aback, to be honest,’’ he says.

“It’s quite powerful. And to think, here’s this very selfless and unassuming girl from Sunnyside on the North-West Coast of Tassie who is able to influence, even now, in such a positive way … this is her legacy.’’

He says it’s great for his boys to see the impact their mum has been able to have.

“I think they love it because they see the good that has happened and continues to happen,’’ Scott says.

“And I think they see the fact that their mum has been a key part of all that, they see what she’s been through, they see the good that she’s done in helping others and I think they have great pride in that.’’

Luke recently turned 19 and Sam recently turned 22.

“One of the things Jo fought so hard for was to get to their 18th and 21st birthdays,’’ Scott says.

“She felt in great comfort at least making it to those events, while obviously realising she would miss out on so many other things moving forward.’’

Scott says Jo’s drive to see the wellness centre come to fruition was often at great personal sacrifice.

Sometimes she’d be discharged from hospital and head straight to a lunch she was presenting at, or to a media event.

So it was a relief to see the project progressing, with the Theatre Royal Hotel – across the road from the Royal Hobart Hospital – an ideal site.

Scott says the next step is to develop a business case for the facility, and continue the fundraising campaign that has so far raised almost $600,000.

He would like to see the facility open before the end of the year.

Scott says following Jo’s cancer diagnosis, he and Jo were shocked there weren’t more support services for cancer patients in Tasmania.

He expects the centre will offer a place of respite, with a range of services from counselling to exercise physiology.

Experts will be on hand to talk people through the challenges they face, and it is hoped sleep pods and short-term accommodation services will help ease the burden for patients travelling from other parts of the state.

“When Jo was diagnosed with cancer we really didn’t have any clues of the enormity of what we were about to face,’’ Scott says.

“At 47, her getting a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and being told she had 12 months to live – your whole world is just a blur and it’s very hard to navigate your way through a whole range of things.

“You’re talking to clinicians, and they’re going a million miles an hour explaining things.

You’re hearing all these terms you’ve never heard before.

There are some fantastic clinicians in Tasmania, we were fortunate in many ways, but we felt that as far as services and support, and just general wellness and emotional wellbeing, it was sadly lacking.

That was a driver for Jo and I to really get in behind SHE’s vision for a wellness centre.’’

They spent plenty of time in waiting rooms where everyone was terrified.

So giving people an opportunity to go into a peaceful, safe environment and sit around a kitchen table with a cup of tea and talk to others who understand, was really important.

“For people coming into the Royal, they might have a couple of appointments, one at 9am and the next one at 3pm,’’ Scott says.

“Rather than think ‘how will I fill in the time’, they will be able to go across the road to a sanctuary and have a cup of tea, have a chat, and maybe take part in a couple of other activities related to wellness.’’

The centre will provide a place for families to mingle.

“One challenge for me, as a carer, it’s tough in that it’s not happening to you, it’s not your body, and you feel this great sense of hopelessness, and often I felt quite useless,’’ Scott says.

“Having the opportunity to talk to other people who have been on that journey … I was craving that.

“I was worried about my kids, who at the time were 14 and 17, dealing with this.

“To try and create a greater sense of community behind these people that are doing it so tough is so important.’’

Jo spent four months of her cancer journey living in Melbourne to access treatment. Fortunately NBL owner Larry Kestelman put her up in an apartment, but Scott says most people do not have that kind of support.

Even travelling to Hobart from other parts of the state was challenging for many families.

“One of the real points when we knew we had to push this (wellness centre) hard, was when we were in a waiting room and Jo met a lady from the North West Coast.

“She had chemo from 10am to midday and then had to wait to see a specialist at 4pm.

“She’s just had chemo, she’s frail, she had come down to Hobart on the bus … and she was staying in a hotel.

“What’s she supposed to do in the meantime? She’s not going to feel like going to Myer to have a shop.

“Jo had chemotherapy and when we left there, I thought to myself, ‘I wonder where that lady has gone?’

“There are so many Tasmanians who are coming down for treatment, and where do they fill in the space? We need affordable accommodation for patients coming down to Hobart, there’s a massive shortfall.’’

Scott is used to working in an advocacy role as chief executive of Beacon Foundation, but, as much as he’s passionate about honouring Jo’s legacy he admits being the public face of a cancer wellness centre campaign is a heavy burden.

“I have this sense of the enormity, I know I’m not alone and thousands of families go through this,’’ he says.

“The last five years of my life have been totally driven by crisis and just the horrendous journey that you go on with cancer.’’

But he also sees the “power of the people” and the ability to make real change.

“I feel like if you wait around for government, if you wait around for others to do stuff, it never will happen,’’ he says.

“If you believe in something strong enough you have the power to see change and that’s been the real learning in this.’’

The 54-year-old says despite the huge challenges there have been many other life lessons.

“Through the enormity and turmoil there were great moments of laughter and love, because you just appreciate simple things,’’ Scott says.

“I’m definitely not sweating the small stuff like I used to. In many ways we lost sight of the little things that would trouble us, they were gone because they just weren’t important any more. Life became, in some ways, simpler – we appreciated time together as a family more.

“I suppose I’ve learnt to be less worried about stuff that just isn’t important – to just focus on the things you can control and just enjoy your life.

“So for me, I want to make the most of opportunities, and I’m doing that as best I can.’’

Luke and Sam still live at the family home with their dad in Acton Park. Sam is working, while Luke finished Year 12 last year and is about to embark on a gap year overseas with mates.

“He’s going away and I think that’s fantastic that he’s living life … his mum would be incredibly excited for him,’’ Scott says.

The Tasmania JackJumpers teal round is on Saturday, February 17, at 8pm, at MyState Bank Arena. To support SHE visit shegynaetas.org.au