Barry Du Bois/Instagram
Australian designer and TV star Barry Du Bois revealed in a heartbreaking interview last night that the cancer he was first diagnosed with six years ago has returned with a vengeance.
In a heartbreaking segment on Ten’s The Living Room, the 57-year-old revealed that a plasmacytoma myeloma that was first felt in his neck in 2010 has resurfaced “reasonably aggressively”
The R U OK ambassador and The Living Room star then went on to explain that he’s set to to undergo further chemotherapy and strong doses of medication while in line for a transplant.
“Many of the people that watch our show know that I got cancer six years ago with a plasmacytoma myeloma. That was a single tumour in my neck. It’s why I’m a bit stiff and look a bit old here,” he said.
“But I’ve missed a couple of checks and my last blood result… I got some bad news. It seems that my cancer has come back reasonably aggressively. Now I have what’s regarded as multiple myeloma. So, we’ve got a cancer in my body that has created several tumours right through my body.”
Despite the devastating news, Barry – who has five-year-old twins Arabella and Bennet with wife, Leonie – says that he’s hopeful that he’ll beat the cancer.
“This is just another fight for me that I’m quite comfortable I’m gonna win. I’m up for a bit of a tough gig ahead,” he said.
“I’ve had two cycles of chemo now and all being well, touching wood, at the end of my third cycle what I’m gonna do is a stem cell and bone marrow retrieval and prepare for a transplant.
“At Christmas time when [he is with his family] on holidays, I’m gonna be in an isolation ward with the great people at St Vincent’s Hospital under the care of some amazing people and I’m gonna have a very strong dose of medicine.”
Plasmacytoma myeloma is a type of cancer that attacks a person’s bone marrow and in 2011 when Du Bois first became aware of the strain in his body, most of the top of his spine had already been affected.
Since then, he was forced to have surgery to place a titanium spine in his body to replace the damage and relies on steady radiation therapy and medications to keep the disease at bay.
“Everything I have ever done in my life, I back myself 100 per cent. I’m gonna not only back myself, I’m gonna go into this with the support of the most amazing people I know and friends and family that love me,” he said.
“And I’m gonna hopefully not only beat what I’ve got, but I’m gonna inspire some others to win their wars as well. But that’s a temporary situation. None of this is gonna beat me.
“[‘Liviing Room co-presenter Miguel Maestre] has been helping with recipes. My beautiful wife has been preparing the most beautiful food and healthy food. I’m mindfully meditating. I’m concentrating on winning this battle and it’s as easy as it can be because of the support I get from you guys.”
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