A surgeon who will carry out potentially life-saving surgery on radio star James Valentine has detailed the complicated process of the operation, which is only carried out a dozen times a year.
The 62-year-old revealed Thursday that he has cancer and will undergo surgery to remove his esophagus in the coming weeks.
The ABC Radio Sydney afternoons presenter shared his diagnosis in a first-person article written for the national broadcaster’s website.
On Thursday afternoon, Valentine discussed his condition in more detail on air and interviewed his surgeon, Associate Professor Douglas Fenton-Lee, of St Vincent’s Hospital.
Valentine has a four-centimeter tumor at the junction of her esophagus and stomach.
A surgeon who will carry out potentially life-saving surgery on radio star James Valentine has detailed the complicated process of the operation which is only carried out a dozen times a year.
Dr Fenton-Lee said the operation would remove most of Valentine’s esophagus, as well as a quarter of her stomach.
“We’re then going to bring your stomach up – we shape it so that it’s a tubular structure and we lift it up and join it to your neck, so we’re replacing your esophagus with your stomach,” he said. -he declared on ABC Radio.
He added that this procedure is not common.
“The unit would handle maybe about 12 cases a year and I have handled the majority of them,” the surgeon said.
The news of Valentine’s diagnosis shocked many people across the country, especially those who had listened to her on the radio for more than two decades.
The 62-year-old revealed Thursday that he has cancer and will undergo surgery to remove his esophagus in the coming weeks.
One of his many supporters is New South Wales Premier Chris Minns.
“I grew up with James on the radio – our extended family WhatsApp chat blew up yesterday afternoon, almost in grief,” he told ABC Radio Sydney.
“(James) is a wonderful Sydney institution and I sincerely wish him the best…I think all of Sydney is behind him.”
Mr Minns said he and his wife Anna even phoned in the Valentine’s Day programme.
Ms Minns was a regular on the What I Live With segment where she joked about her husband’s annoying habit of pausing the television after a joke for a laugh.
Richard Glover, another ABC radio presenter, said: “Few people have spread such joy among their fellow citizens and we need you back soon to spread more.”
Valentine earlier revealed it was after a friend’s birthday party in December last year that he realized something was wrong.
He said that after ingesting a massaman curry, he started choking and gagging.
ABC radio star James Valentine (pictured) has been on ABC Radio for more than two decades.
It was then that his wife recommended that he visit his sister’s endoscopy clinic for a gastroscopy.
In January, Valentine began five weeks of chemotherapy and radiation.
“I immediately received chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but only a light dose intended to shrink the tumor and cleanse the body before surgery,” he wrote.
“I was tired from the radiation, the chemo made me feel like my whole body had been covered in liquid aluminum foil, but I could go to work, do x-ray and I even did a concert or two playing the saxophone.”
Surgery to remove Valentine’s cancerous esophagus will be carried out in a few weeks.
“After this, I will most likely feel like crap for a while,” he wrote. “It is likely that I will recover, although it may take a few months.”
Valentine presented the ABC’s afternoon program in Sydney for two decades before occupying the breakfast slot for two years until late 2023, when it was announced he would return to his old shift.
He told his listeners on Friday that he had “no doubt” he would be back on air as soon as he could, and thanked those who had offered him messages of support.
“I don’t want to be too ghoulish, but it’s like attending your own funeral and the eulogies were very nice,” he said.
TV and radio veteran Tim Webster will fill in for Valentine during his absence.
ABC radio presenter James Valentine (right) is pictured with actress Leah McLeod