First published by Sunehra Ahmed on the Bendigo Advertiser

A livestock producer from central Victoria says his "farming mentality" almost prevented him from getting an early cancer diagnosis.

And now he's on a mission to encourage other farmers to seek help if they notice any strange health symptoms as soon as they arise.

Glenn Wilson, Muskerry, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumour, over the Easter holiday period in 2024.

Mr Wilson said if it wasn't for his wife Naomi, he would have ignored his symptoms and missed an early diagnosis.

Wife noticed changes

"My wife picked up early that my speech patterns had changed," he said.

"If it wasn't for her, I probably would have pushed through a bit more, since we were busy with farming and our pest control business.

"We did a CT scan, and by the following week, I was operated on.

"That's when it all came crashing down."

Since his diagnosis, Mr Wilson has been visiting Bendigo Health's Gobbé Wellness Centre while getting chemotherapy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

He said while the wellness centre wasn't for his main treatment, the additional services provided there had helped him navigate his experience with cancer.

Praise for Bendigo Wellness Centre

"At first, I didn't think I would need to use the centre," he said.

"I was just too proud to admit I needed it and thought someone else would need it more than me."

Mr Wilson has used several services at the wellness centre, including reflexology, oncology massages, sleep pods and a brain cancer support group.

"It's an easy place to be in and a great place to pause and forget about the treatment you're enduring," he said.

"The support has been really good, and not only for me, but my wife and my little girl as well."

Bendigo Health cancer wellness co-ordinator Jenna Sing said services at the centre had been instrumental in improving the wellbeing of cancer patients, with the majority of their online psychology appointments funded by the annual gala ball.

Ms Sing said while cancer patients could access government-funded psychology sessions through Medicare, she still saw a need for rural cancer patients to access more psychology sessions to help deal with their cancer diagnoses.

"Psychology sessions for cancer patients aren't fully government subsidised yet," she said.

"We need to make sure that they live well whilst they try to live longer and have that quality of life."

Walk off the farm and get checked

Mr Wilson recommends other men in the industry take care of their health and not be afraid to ask for help.

"It's just that farm mentality, where you always feel like you don't need any help," he said.

"No matter how busy you are, always get your regular check-ups."

The philanthropically founded Gobbé Wellness Centre was established in 2018 when Bendigo Health was given funds to refurbish a property on their site to establish a new facility.

With no government funding, a portion of the funds has been raised through annual gala balls organised by real estate and livestock agency McKean McGregor.

Over three years, the gala balls have raised $682,916, with last year's event raising over $254,000.

Gala ball set for June

This year's gala will be held on Saturday, June 14, at Red Energy Arena, Bendigo.

McKean McGregor marketing manager Brock Pinner said the event brought the community together to fund services they thought were much needed in the community.

"The idea was born at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

"We thought we could organise something to bring people together again, and since 2022, it has run every year."

Despite tickets for the gala already selling out, Mr Pinner said people could still donate to the centre by contacting McKean McGregor.