His body might be slowly breaking under the increasing pressure of cancer, but Brian Pound remains resolute.
Speaking with the kind of clarity and relative positivity of somebody who’s spent more than enough time soul searching, the 55-year-old says his terminal cancer – which has spread from his bowel to his liver and lung – has brought a balance to his life since he was diagnosed in May, 2011.
While it’s becoming increasingly difficult to go to work each day at Brimbank council, there’s one important job the service planner is not prepared to let slide.
A Bowel Cancer Australia advocate, Pound sought out Star Weekly to share his story with the thousands of cancer sufferers he’ll likely never meet but is determined to help.
“Some people are more mature about dealing with chronic illness; some people find it harder to talk about. I guess that’s why I’m open and doing interviews,” he says.
“[To] try to make it easier for the community to think about it and get tested. They hide the symptoms behind the toilet door.”
Three years ago, Pound went to the doctor with what he thought was a bad case of gastro. But a colonoscopy revealed a large tumour. Further scans showed cancer had spread through his body.
“It was an incredible shock. Only a few weeks before I was cycling from my home in Brunswick out to Sunshine.
“I was healthy, a non-smoker. I’d given up drinking a while ago.”
Telling his partner and children, aged 17 and 19, was tough. Then came the side effects of chemotherapy – exhaustion, constipation, nerve damage and nausea.
“I don’t have the mobility I once had, I can’t play sport,’’ he says. ‘‘That’s difficult, but you do learn to live with things.’’
Some people try to make sense of their cancer-stricken lives by following simple mottos. But Pound isn’t one of them.
“People say ‘live for the day’. For me, it’s not that simple. I’ve been living with it for three years. You’ve gotta be there for the long haul and be aware you’ll have your ups and downs.
“I don’t think it’s like an epiphany … some people see it that way. But you do certainly [have to] accentuate the positive.”
Cancer has given Pound a broader perspective. “Life’s not such a rush [now]. Even though I’ve got less time, I’m less rushed.”
Pound encourages those dealing with cancer to ask lots of questions.
‘‘Build a good relationship with your oncologist,’’ he says.
‘‘And spend time with the people you love and make the most of life. Because we’re all going to die one day.”
