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she took him to the hospital for weekly treatment. Angry adolescents can be the most
exasperating of patients.
'In February 1992 the chemotherapy ceased, and we began to rebuild our lives as a regular
family. Chris had an older brother, Ross, who was finding it difficult to concentrate fully on his
physics and computer studies at the Victorian University of Technology, and two sisters:
Sharyn, three years older than Chris, and Danielle seven years his junior. The children were
always very close, and Danielle and Christopher were often said to 'live in each others'
pockets'. It was a parent's delight to watch them frolic and do things together.
'The chemotherapy forced Chris to delay his preparations for the school and inter-school
swimming competitions in 1992, as a Year 11 student. However, this did not prevent him from
winning every event he competed in, at both the school inter-club and the inter-school swimming
sports. He went on to represent the local group of seven schools at the Eastern Zone meet, with
some 60 schools competing. In 1991, he won both the Under 16 breaststroke and backstroke
events at this competition, and went on to win those two events at the All State Schools meet a
month later. In 1992, as an Under 17 swimmer, the events were over 100 metres, rather than
the 50 metres for younger competitors. The lack of preparation took its toll and he came
second in both events, losing one by less than two-tenths of a second. He was bitterly
disappointed, but was philosophical enough to know that with further training over the following
12 months, he could achieve first placings in his final year of High School, in the Open age
group.
'Unfortunately, this was never to be. Midway through 1992, his grades began to slip. For a very
capable and well-organized student, this was a matter of real concern to his parents and
teachers. After the June parent-teacher interviews, Chris explained to us that a new lump had
developed in his groin, and had been there for some time.
'We had thought that his declining performance at school could have been caused by
relationship problems. But the cause was far more serious. He had put off telling us because he
wanted our family holiday to Queensland in April to go ahead as planned, and because he
wanted to participate in the District 5 versus Southern Tasmania swimming competitions in
Hobart, Tasmania. He had also wanted his parents to feel free to go on a two-week trip to the
USA, in June, and to be able himself to attend the local Debutante Ball.
The wrench we felt in the gut was even worse than before, especially when we found that this
time the cancer had spread to his lymph glands, and to his lungs. This was in July 1992. A
specialist said that Chris would never swim again, as his lungs were now infected. But Chris was
defiant. "I don't need to breathe to swim 50 metres," he said.
'More intense chemotherapy was prescribed, involving massive doses of cell-destroying
chemicals. The mental and physical traumas incurred during Chris's numerous hospital
admissions were at times explosive. But the nursing care was personal and loving, and we will
never forget the nurses who took it in
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turns to awaken Chris so that he could watch the Olympic swimming finals on TV.
'After several weeks, the growths were clearly shrinking, but his body soon became toxic and
the treatment had to stop. This enabled the tumours to begin growing again, resulting in chronic
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