Family pulls together to help ailing brother

KANE Hargarty had just moved into a new home with his fiancee and started a dream job.

Then the 30-year-old Cairns man received the cancer diagnosis that has turned his life upside down.

The Far North community is now being urged to rally in support of Mr Hargarty who was recently diagnosed with cancer following years of excruciating pain that left him unable to walk at times.

The White Rock resident has just moved into a new home with his fiancee, Bea Peralta, and started a job he had always wanted.

But about four weeks ago, following two years of seeing “doctor after doctor”, he was diagnosed with bone cancer.

The cancer began on his hip and has now spread to his shoulders and pelvis. Since the diagnosis, Mr Hagarty has gone to Brisbane for chemotherapy.

His mother, Bev Hagarty, said that, while the situation was difficult because they hadn’t been given an indication about the future, the family was pulling together.

“I kept breaking down when he was diagnosed, but we try to talk every day now that he’s in Brisbane,” Mrs Hagarty said.

“In these times, we’ve got to be there for each other.

“He seems pretty positive, but I don’t know whether he’s holding back or not. He’s probably trying to protect us.”

Mr Hagarty’s sister, Tarryn Wilson, has set up a GoFundMe page to ask for help with his living expenses following treatment. She said her brother at times could not walk because of “how extreme (the pain) was”. “He’s always been on the go and watching him hobble upstairs is difficult,” she said.

“Some days he couldn’t walk at all. It’s just really hard to accept because he’s my little brother.”

Mrs Wilson also said her brother was using a walking stick before the diagnosis.

“We’ve been offering emotional support from here. Unfortunately, because of work and school commitments, it’s only been his fiancee who’s been able to go down fulltime,” she said. “But we’ve been checking and talking with him every day – that’s definitely boosted his spirits. It’s given him a fighting chance.”

Mrs Wilson said her brother started a “perfect” job as a contractor but was recently made redundant. However, she said his brother’s former boss would try his best to re-employ him following treatment.

“I’d like to relieve the stress and pressure from both he and his fiancee by raising funds to help cover the cost of living and to keep a roof over their heads once he’s finished his treatment,” she said.

WATCHING HIM HOBBLE UPSTAIRS IS DIFFICULT … IT’S JUST REALLY HARD TO ACCEPT BECAUSE HE’S MY LITTLE BROTHER