A 49-YEAR-OLD married father of three, Dylan Luke is very clear on his life goals.
He wants to play more cricket with his kids, spend time with his devoted wife, and hang out at the beach.
In early February, a niggling pain that wouldn’t go away saw him visit the hospital for scans, leading to a shock diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Dylan said he is not interested in sympathy, but hopes to inspire others to be vigilant about their health.
“What I do want is for people to be more aware of themselves and their bodies, and if something doesn’t seem right, go and see a doctor,” he said.
“I ignored this for several months thinking it was just a sporting injury; I don’t want to see the same thing happen to anyone else.”
Dylan is now doing cycles of chemotherapy and is “just trying to keep everything functioning as normally as possible”.
“That way my family can all live their best possible lives,” he said.
Five years ago, Dylan joined the Bonny Hills Lake Cathie Cricket Club, despite not having played since he was young.
With his oldest child a dedicated cricketer, it seemed like a natural fit.
He credits club members Anthony McKinlay, Justin Paggotto and Barry Spencer for helping reignite his love for the game, and this group is now at the forefront of a fundraising initiative to provide some financial relief and community support to Dylan and his family.
“Dylan is a much-loved member of the team,” Anthony told News Of The Area.
“He’s the first to offer help and the first to crack jokes.
“He treats everyone with the same level of respect and is incredibly popular amongst the community’”
The Do it for Dylan fundraiser is being held at Club Lake Cathie on 18 April at 6pm, with the night including raffles and auction items thanks to generous donations by local individuals and businesses.
Pancreatic cancer purple ribbon caps are being sold by the club for $25, with all proceeds to Dylan.
Enquiries to bhlccc.sponsorship@gmail.com.
By Rachael THORPE
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