A young family is devastated after a new father dies after losing his battle with an aggressive form of cancer.
Josh Piscitelli, from Perth, passed away on July 14 at the age of 28, just over a year after being diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue in June 2023.
He left behind his wife Chelsea and 20-month-old son Hunter.
Mr Piscitelli, a drill and excavator mechanic at the Roy Hill iron ore mine in Western Australia, underwent surgery to remove the cancerous tissue in July 2023 and continued radiotherapy until October 2023.
She first noticed an ulcer on her tongue that wouldn’t go away, before being diagnosed with stage two cancer of the tongue and throat.
In January of this year, during a routine PET scan, it was discovered that the cancer had returned.
In a GoFundMe A page organised for Mr Piscitelli’s young family by his friend and co-worker Callan Oorschot, detailing his final months of battling the disease.
“She started chemotherapy immediately, but after a couple of failed rounds her treatment was intensified,” Oorschot wrote.
Josh Piscitelli (right), from Perth, passed away on July 14 at the age of 28, just over a year after being diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue in June 2023. He left behind his wife Chelsea (left) and 20-month-old son Hunter.
‘Josh then fell victim to an extreme side effect of chemotherapy that put his body into septic shock in March 2024.
‘Many surgeons and specialists were shocked that Josh had managed to survive what he had never survived before, considering it a medical miracle, it was later revealed that Josh had suffered multiple strokes as a result of septic shock.
‘Josh began another intense road to recovery. His rehabilitation was progressing in leaps and bounds, but sadly, he was told shortly afterwards that the chemotherapy treatment was not working and that Josh’s illness was terminal, less than 12 months after his initial diagnosis.’
The fundraising page was created because of the “enormous financial burdens” imposed by a terminal illness, in addition to the emotional pain and stress on his family, Oorschot said.
“Josh was the primary breadwinner for his family and should have had his entire working life ahead of him. Josh’s wife Chelsea and son Hunter are now left to deal with the issues as they prepare for big financial and emotional changes.”
Mr Piscitelli, a drill and excavator mechanic at Roy Hill iron ore mine, underwent surgery to remove the cancerous tissue in July 2023 and continued radiotherapy until October 2023, but discovered the cancer had returned in January this year.
The tongue is susceptible to several types of cancer, but squamous cell carcinoma is the most common. Squamous cells are thin, flat cells that line the mouth and other organs.
Cancer is most common in people aged 40 and older and is twice as common in men.
Signs of possible tongue cancer include a lump on the side of the tongue that touches the teeth, looks like an ulcer, is grayish-pink to red in color, and bleeds easily if bitten or touched.