Australian cancer researcher farewelled at Sydney Opera House

My fellow Australians, I am writing this letter as a final farewell to everyone I have had the privilege of loving, sharing life’s adventures, working with and meeting during a life that can only be described as a life filled with happiness, optimism, opportunity and passion.

I have spent the last three years being open and honest about my journey with glioblastoma (brain cancer), in part to be transparent about what cancer patients and their families are going through, and in part to provide hope and inspiration that we can and should continue to push the boundaries to move the field of cancer forward.

From my lifelong career as a world-leading melanoma pathologist and cancer researcher, to becoming the first patient to receive experimental brain cancer treatment based on melanoma science that I helped develop, to then participating in the development of a brain cancer clinical trial and advocating for greater investment in brain cancer research, I am extremely proud of the impact I have made.

If my legacy were to continue beyond these words, I would be delighted and humbled to be remembered every day as a proud Australian who “gave it a shot” and in doing so inspired others to pursue their dreams and passions with humility, love and compassion.

Read Richard Scolyer’s book The full letter is here.