Biography
I was a truck driver who didn’t even have an email address, couldn’t even turn a computer on and Facebook was just starting out, so there was nothing like there is today. It was a very scary time in my life, I will never ever forget it. It’s the reason I always, always have time to listen to a patient now, or do whatever I can to support a patient or a family because I know what it’s like, I’ve been there and it can be a very lonely scary time in one’s life, without support.
The many, many patients who sadly get a diagnosis of cancer, inspire me and will forever.
Jay was diagnosed stage 3 melanoma in 2008. This completely changed Jays life, he gave up his job as a truck driver and successfully lobbied for six years to have solariums banned across Australia. Today, he facilitates melanoma support groups and raises awareness and funds for melanoma research and support via his role with Melanoma Institute Australia.
In 2014 Jay was named as one of the Not-for-Profit Sector’s 25 Most Influential People in Australia.
A highlight for Jay was walking 900km’s Sydney to Melbourne, 16 days in 2014 raising over $160k for research. In 16 days a campaign was put in place to achieve 900 skin examinations. This was achieved with 18 melanoma’s discovered on 18 different people.