'You can't ever give up': League legend's desperate battle to make it to 70 as he becomes one of only three people in the world to take part in a medical trial that could help cure his inoperable cancer
- Tommy Raudonikis, the Blues' first Origin captain, has cancer in his neck
- Doctors say it is so close to his brain they are unable to operate on him
- In a desperate bid to keep fighting, he has signed up to an exclusive medical trial
- Raudonikis is one of only three people receiving the immunotherapy treatment
- His partner, Trish Brown, said the league legend has made some improvements
- The 69-year-old hopes he will make it to his seventieth birthday and onwards
A league legend has signed up to an exclusive medical trial that could help cure cancer that has spread so close to his brain it is inoperable.
Tommy Raudonikis, the Blues' first Origin captain, had hoped the worst of his cancer journey was over last year when doctors said they believed the last of his disease would disappear.
But when it began to spread again, the rugby league star took drastic action in a desperate bid to make it to his 70th birthday.
He is now one of only three people in the world receiving weekly immunotherapy, delivered by a needle into his neck, in the experimental trial.
Tommy Raudonikis, the Blues' first Origin captain, had hoped the worst of his cancer journey was over last year, when doctors said they believed the last of his disease would disappear. But when it began to spread again. He is now one of only three people in the world receiving weekly immunotherapy, delivered by a needle into his neck, in the experimental trial
His partner, Trish Brown, said the 69-year-old was given a clean bill of health ten months ago after he had surgery and a course of chemotherapy, but his condition had worsened since.
'When he got those results last year there was a little bit of cancer that the doctors thought would go away because of all the radiation and chemo in his body, but it didn't,' Ms Brown told The Gold Coast Bulletin.
'The cancer is wrapped around his carotid artery. It is so close to his brain that it is inoperable. He couldn't go through chemo again. He wouldn't have been able to stand it, so the only option was to try a type of immunotherapy.
The therapy takes place at the Gold Coast Hospital, close to where Raudonikis lives, and requires him to have a series of weekly injections into his neck that use his immune system to fight the cancer. His partner, Trish Brown (pictured) says the shorter distance to the hospital has greatly benefited Raudonikis and he is showing slight improvements since the treatment began
The therapy takes place at the Gold Coast Hospital, close to where Raudonikis lives, and requires him to have a series of weekly injections into his neck that use his immune system to fight the cancer.
Ms Brown says the shorter distance to the hospital has greatly benefited Raudonikis and he is showing slight improvements since the treatment began.
'There's been a marked improvement over the past few days. He's even started to get on to the exercise bike a bit.'
Tommy Raudonikis played 239 first grade games for the Wests Magpies and the Newtown Jets over the course of his long career. He also played 29 Test and World Cup games as Australian representative halfback
Tommy Raudonikis played 239 first grade games for the Wests Magpies and the Newtown Jets over the course of his long career.
He also played 29 Test and World Cup games as Australian representative halfback.
In 1972, Raudonikis won the Rothmans Medal, which was awarded to players voted by referees as the best and fairest in those competitions for the season.
