ABC radio star James Valentine has revealed he is about to have surgery to remove his esophagus and is both hopeful and terrified.
In an article he wrote on the national channel’s website, Valentine told his fans and listeners that he had to tell them something and that he would start with the end of the story.
“The end of the story is that everything will be okay,” he wrote. The beginning is that I have cancer.
The 61-year-old, born in Ballarat, Victoria, admitted that “if you start with that, no one will ever believe everything will be okay”.
“Cancer is a trigger word for almost everyone, because having your own body turn against you is a horrible thing and, for many, the course of the disease is dreadful, and for many it is fatal.
ABC radio star James Valentine (pictured) has revealed he is about to have surgery to remove his esophagus and is both hopeful and terrified.
James Valentine (pictured playing saxophone) wrote about his cancer diagnosis and treatment
“That’s why my cancer so far has been kind of strange. I’m doing well. Right now, I’m totally fine.
Valentine, who before working in radio and television was a musician, notably with Melbourne band Models, had his first inkling that there might be something wrong last December.
He was at a party to celebrate his friend Tom’s 40th birthday and shortly after 9:30 a.m., after eating takeaway Thai food, he was choking and gagging.
His wife, Joanne, told him, “It’s not good” and referred him to her sister’s endoscopy clinic for a gastroscopy.
After waking up from the procedure, the doctor told him, “It’s bad. You have a 4cm tumor where your esophagus meets your stomach.
He was so shocked by the news that he couldn’t accept it.
He went home and went to bed as usual only to get up early to do his breakfast show on ABC Radio Sydney. He fell asleep immediately.
Valentine got up at 3:45 a.m. and, on his way to work, he began to remember what seemed to be a dream that made no sense.
After the program ended, he called his wife and said, “This may seem like a stupid question, but I have cancer, don’t I?”
In early January, he began five weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. “For reasons that should be obvious, I don’t like to use the more common term: radiotherapy,” he joked.
He said his cancer and its treatment differed from many other people who suffer from it.
He received a light dose of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, designed to shrink the tumor before surgery.
The radiation tired him and the chemo left him “feeling like my whole body had been run through liquid aluminum foil.”
In an article he wrote for the ABC website, James Valentine (pictured) told his fans and listeners that he had to tell them something.
ABC radio presenter James Valentine (right) is pictured with actress Leah McLeod
Despite this, he was still able to do his job on the radio and even did a few broadcasts playing the saxophone.
Unlike many others, the treatment did not cause his hair to fall out and within a few weeks of finishing the treatment he was feeling good again.
On Thursday, Valentine revealed that he will have surgery in a few weeks that will remove his entire esophagus “and then stretch my stomach and attach it to my throat.”
“It is likely that I will recover, although it may take a few months. I will be able to eat, but small amounts at a time,” he said.
There was a slight hint that Valentine wasn’t feeling well on her Facebook page in February when a fan posted “Please stop having Mondayitis, we love hearing from you 5 days a week on ( Radio Sydney).”
In addition to his radio and music work, Valentine also does emcee work, including for scientists, engineers, lawyers and other professional organizations. He is pictured at the Australian Director’s Guild Awards
James Valentine is pictured hosting the opening night of the 2008 Sydney Festival in the Domain on January 5, 2008.
His most recent live music show was at Camelot Lounge in the inner Sydney suburb of Marrickville on February 9.
This show sold so well that it was moved to the venue’s largest venue.
“Throw a party and get down!” Valentine posted to promote the series.
In addition to his radio and music work, Valentine also does emcee work, including for scientists, engineers, lawyers and other professional organizations.
He is also the author of a series of books for teenagers, including the JumpMan science fiction novel trilogy.