From 'Dubbo' Dave

Rod Hard sent the following note from Dave Kesby:


Dear friends,

I know that it looks like a lot of people up there but it’s the same rules as before.

You have either sent an email you have contacted Elissa by phone or at school to enquire about my health or whatever but thanks you for your interest.

I have also included a couple of old mates I met at my old alma mater reunion, the fabulous  Dubbo High, who don’t even know I have been crook.

This is my version of events.


Elissa is slightly different, especially on the 2 month part so be aware of that.

As you know I spent 21 days most of November in the Sydney Adventist  Hospital... they put various stents inside me some with complete anaesthetic, and others with local anaesthetic.. I dealt mainly with an Interventionist Radiologist by the name of Dr Liang, who Elissa had complete faith in.


They had plans to do this massive operation on me where they would go behind the liver and take the tumour out. I would have been in hospital for about 5 weeks and have a recovery period of about 6 months. Elissa and I agreed to this they would have had to get a special
Liver surgeon in to do this..they then decided that it was too risky and  that there was no guarantee it would work

The   oncologist  who was managing me announced that he would see me this day, it was about 3 or 4 days before I left hospital.  Elissa arrived early, about 7am. He stated there was not much more they could do for me and that they would try to get the jaundice down but to go home get my affairs in order I then said,
“How long have I got..a couple of months?” and my version is he agreed. He said come and see him in a fortnight.

The  oncologist left, Elissa & I  kissed cuddled  and cried told each other we loved our 38 years together..we were proud of our 2  boys and all was good.

For the next 3 days in hospital I was visited by Social workers, chaplains etc.

I left hospital on Monday  29th November weighing 68kgs I still have the jaundice, I live on a drug called maxolon which helps keep food down and I have a cocktail of drugs at night that give me a good night sleep.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that since I have been home I have put myself on a high fat diet (Homer Simpson would be proud of me) I am doing little jobs around the house and with the beautiful Elissa.

Getting better each day. In hospital I had to weigh myself each day which gave me the shits as I lost a kilo each day  ..now I weigh myself each Monday and I have put on 2 kilos knocking on the door of 71 kilos.

I haven’t given up alcohol ..it has given up on me..have tried a red wine and my favourite beer, Carlsberg, got as far as the throat and have had to spit it out the throat has said “No way Jose”

Thanks for reading so far. We now get to the crux of the story ..yesterday 14th  December we go and visit  the oncologist.. Elissa decided that we would fill-in the day before the visit by sitting under the trees at Newport.

It was beautiful ...at 4pm we go to the oncologist I tell him with the help of lovely Elissa I am getting better each day all is good when do I start to die and he says you will have” many months”..Elissa and I left the surgery.

Couldn’t believe it..he gave us all these permutations which I won’t go into but at the moment all is good I have Jack & Miah  and my grand kids coming around on Christmas eve, my other  son Pete and his lovely wife Beau, rock in from Dubai so we plan a party on Christmas Eve.


On Boxing Day Pete and Beau go with us to my sisters place in Canberra where they all play golf with all the cousins and we have a “Hooley “ at night so all is good.

Once again thanks for your interest. Elissa has been fantastic as before the last time I wrote to you she is out earning a dollar at Cherrybrook, but when you are as crook as I was in October she was the rock and I love her.

Well that’s all... will keep you in the loop. Hope I haven’t left anybody out

Dave Kesby