NSW Cancer
Whilst the surgery was successful, Greg’s ordeal was
not over. Some of his lymph nodes had tested positive
and Greg began chemotherapy in January 2012, which
led to a rare and potentially fatal reaction.
NSW’s Cancer Cops
Good mates Senior Constable Greg Waddingham, VKG, and Sergeant Bruce Jarvis, Kogarah
Police Station, both say they didn’t see it coming. One day they were getting on with their
busy lives and the next, cancer – or a brain tumour in Sgt Jarvis’ case – reared its ugly head.
the Cooks River in winter were freezing, but Bruce didn’t
hesitate. Wearing cargo pants, a t-shirt and basic scuba
gear he dived in and located the vehicle. Unfortunately,
by this time the driver was already deceased.
He explained, “On the 15th of April, my heart stopped
as a result of the chemo drug; acute cardio toxicity is the
official term. That’s when the chemo drug becomes toxic
in your system, like an overdose. I was swimming in the
ocean at the time. Basically I drowned as well. The odds
were certainly against me.”
After wrestling with the car doors, Bruce was
eventually able to free the man’s body, and convey it to
the surface. He later received an award for the rescue.
It was an awful experience for Greg’s wife, Leah, who
was there at the time. She recalled, “I had to bear the
brunt of it. It was pretty horrendous, very traumatic. I had
lost my mother to breast cancer only 18 months earlier.”
Fortunately, an off-duty life guard came to Greg’s
rescue. He was resuscitated and rushed to hospital with
Leah alerting doctors about his condition.
Greg’s condition was critical for awhile. He was in a
coma for 10 days and on life support for most of that time.
He had to be defibrillated three times but once the drug
levels dropped, his heart went back to a normal rhythm.
“I’m pretty lucky to be here today,” Greg said. “Every
doctor I’ve spoken to about it considers I’m a miracle.”
Today, after strenuous testing Greg’s heart has been
declared normal and he is determined to enjoy his good
health without taking it for granted.
He is also keen to alert other police to stop and take
stock of their health. “The Aussie male mantra is —
she’ll be right, mate.”
Often operational police will dismiss warning signs
due to the physical demands and stresses of police work
and shiftwork.
Health guard: Sergeant Bruce Jarvis, Senior Constable Greg Waddingham and the PANSW’s Sergeant Gerry O’Connor
with a group of NSW Police.
Cancer affects one in two people during their lifetime; it
touches all our lives. Following the deaths of four NSWPF
employees in the month of May, Greg and Bruce decided
to speak out urging members: “Don’t be the tough guy.
Be the person who actually cares for themselves”.
“If I look back, I was getting a bit tired and fatigued.
I was commuting to Sydney from Wollongong and was
putting that tiredness down on the commutes, the shift
work and the day-night shift pattern that police do. I was
writing it off to that,” he said.
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