A beloved mother of four and member of the Gambaro family of restaurateurs died of cancer just days before Christmas.
Jess Gambaro, 46, died Monday after a long battle with esophageal cancer.
Mrs Gambaro was diagnosed with stage four esophageal cancer in August last year after she went to hospital thinking she had pneumonia.
Her heartbroken husband, Donny Gambaro, shared a touching tribute to his wife and mother of their four children, Don, 16, Zara, 12, Massimo, nine, and Nico, seven.
“I have lost the love of my life and my best friend,” Gambaro said. courier mail.
Gambaro explained that his wife’s cancer diagnosis was a “mystery” since she had never smoked or drank alcohol.
Esophageal cancer occurs when abnormal cells develop in the innermost layer of the esophagus.
It is a slow-growing cancer that is usually detected in its advanced stages as it may not present many symptoms in the early stages.
Jess Gambaro, 46, died Monday, just two days before Christmas, after a long battle with esophageal cancer.
Her heartbroken husband, Donny Gambaro, shared a touching tribute to his wife, describing her as the “love of his life.”
In 2023, oesophageal cancer accounted for one per cent of all cancers affecting around 1,700 Australians, mostly men over 70, with the main cause being smoking and heavy alcohol consumption.
Ms. Gambaro’s treatment included three types of chemotherapy, extensive radiation and treatment with a trial drug.
Gambaro said there was a “glimmer of hope” that his wife was going to beat cancer and was even body surfing last Christmas.
“We had a glimmer of hope that we were going to get through it last Christmas, but it was all the subsidiary cancers that took my darling away,” Mr. Gambaro said.
“She really believed she was going to get through this; last year around this time she was body surfing in Coolangatta.”
In a heartfelt tribute to his wife, Gambaro described her as a woman who had a calming presence, with a smile that radiated a room.
He added that Jess was a “frank lady”, with a “great sense of humour” that was neither outrageous nor over the top.
Mrs. Gambaro had a degree in marketing and computer science and worked until the last months of her life creating websites for the family business.
Mrs. Gambaro was a much-loved member of the Gambaro hospitality group (pictured)
The Gambaro Group is an Australian hotel company founded in 1953 by Italian immigrant Giovanbaptista Gambaro who moved to northern Queensland in 1938.
The business was passed on to his sons Michael and Domenico, who opened Gambaro Seafood Restaurant in 1974, which remains Brisbane’s oldest restaurant.
From humble beginnings, with a fish and chip shop on Caxton Street, Petrie Terrace, it is still run today by the late Michael Gambaro’s sons, Frank, Donny and John.
The Gambaro empire now consists of a number of popular venues including Pipi’s restaurant, Persone Italian in Brisbane City, Awaken cafe in Coolangatta and Black Hide Steak & Seafood at The Star on Caxton Street.
Mrs Gambaro’s funeral will be held at St Brigid’s Church in Red Hill, the same place where she married her husband 17 years ago, on January 3, 2025.
She is survived by her husband, her four children, her parents Lloyd and Joan Bennett and her siblings Philippa, Zoe and Rhys.