Please support Vincent with his rare bone cancer fight

I’m not sure where to begin, but I truly hope you’ll take a moment to read this. My heart is breaking as I write these words about my father, Vincent (54), who urgently needs help and specialist care for a rare and aggressive cancer.

My name is Vanessa, and I’m Vincent’s eldest daughter. My dad is my world — kind, gentle, and humble. I would do anything to help him. On the 4th of January 2025, he was diagnosed with rib Chondrosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer, located on his 12th rib on the left side. The tumour is now growing and has attached itself to his left kidney, and is also dangerously close to the top of his colon.

This cancer diagnosis came just months after he survived a major heart attack on the 4th of May 2024. Since then, everything has been a battle — the long hospital wait times, the worsening of his condition, and the fear of what’s next.

We’ve now been told the tumour has grown significantly. With his heart complications — including a collapsing heart wall and a stent in his main artery — there’s a high chance he may not be cleared for the complex 8-hour surgery that he urgently needs. This surgery would require ICU care and intubation, and without it, his diagnosis will likely become terminal. This form of cancer cannot be treated with chemotherapy or radiation.

We recently saw Dr. He, a surgeon at North Canberra Hospital, who warned that due to the complications, the operation may not even be possible. That’s why I’m desperate to get my father to a Chondrosarcoma specialist in Sydney, but we simply can’t afford it.

My dad has worked his entire life as a gardener — he never drank, never smoked, and grew fresh vegetables that he’d happily share with neighbors and strangers. He’s lived a simple, giving life. He’s now on a disability pension and has no assets to sell. I’ve contacted the Cancer Council, but the only support offered was legal advice on how to sell assets — which he doesn’t have.

Right now, it’s just me and my younger siblings caring for him, and I’m doing my best, but I have nothing. The stress of trying to care for him emotionally, physically, and financially is overwhelming. There are bills piling up, appointments we can’t afford, and a future that feels impossible without help.

My only wish is for my father to have comfort, dignity, and peace of mind in whatever time he has left — whether that’s days, months, or more. Please, if you can help in any way, it would mean the world to us. Especially your kindness and prayers mean a lot.

Even sharing this helps.

Thank you for reading.