FINDING STRENGTH IN FIGHT FOR LIFE

GEELONG powerlifter Dylan Chidley has had a weight of a different kind lifted from his shoulders after being declared cancer-free following a battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The 26-year-old was diagnosed in August after experiencing symptoms while training for a competition.

“I started getting really tired and a lot of chronic pain in my back. Swollen lymph nodes started popping up on my body,” he said.

“My initial reaction (to the diagnosis) was absolute shock. It is surprising because I am not only young but extremely healthy, particularly since I was in the middle of competition prep.”

The doctors told him the stage four cancer had likely been developing for some time, and couldn’t believe he’d managed to train through the level of deterioration and fatigue it forces on the body.

In the Highton resident’s favour was the disease’s reputation as one of the more treatable types of cancer.

Add to that his physical and mental strength, and Mr Chidley knew he was in with a fighting chance to beat it.

But he said when he found out it was a stage four cancer, he knew there was a slight chance he wouldn’t make it.

“A lot of people might lay down and ride it out but I took it into my own hands to do my research and push everyday to do something positive and progressive,” he said.

A GoFundMe page set up by Mr Chidley’s family raised $23,500 to help alleviate the financial pressures that came with turning his full attention to recovery.

Alongside chemotherapy at Barwon Health’s Andrew Love Cancer Centre, where he is currently completing his third cycle of treatment, the construction worker-turned-fitness coach used his knowledge of exercise and nutrition to help complement traditional medicines.

He continued to train regularly, still squatting an impressive 165kg while sick.

“I would just go into the gym at Strong Geelong and do what I could in hours that there aren’t too many people because I had zero immune system,” he said. “It was mostly a mental thing … for me, training provides an outlet. It has showed me how strong I can be to keep pushing through and keep doing everything regardless of the situation.”

The fitness fanatic now has his sights set on the Summer Classic competition in midJanuary.

“I won’t be massively competitive in it but it will be a good thing for me to do something I love,” Mr Chidley said.