https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.a...e/news-story/870fe480d8e353068bcd5a4d678ebc3d
Southport Tigers and Keebra Park product Brock Hamill doing well through early stages of cancer battle
June 19, 2018
BROCK Hamill’s first rugby league coach describes him simply as “a competitor” and right now the 19-year-old is drawing on every ounce of that trait as he faces his greatest challenge yet.
The popular lock forward is currently going through a 12-week chemotherapy cycle to treat the testicular cancer that has forced him to take a break from his time at the Canterbury Bulldogs.
When the diagnosis originally came in November, it was met with shock. It’s a battle no teenager – or parent of one – expects to have to fight.
After going in for surgery on December 1 last year, the Hamill family knew there was a 50-50 chance it would return. Sure enough, seven weeks into his stint at Belmore, a routine follow-up found the cancer had spread.
But not even the loss of his trademark red hair has stopped him in tackling chemotherapy head on.
“He’s doing pretty good considering what’s going on in his life,” said his mother, Kylie Hamill.
“He has actually been keeping us a bit upbeat about it all. His whole attitude towards it has been quite amazing really.
“The goal is to get through this and then get him back down there (at the Bulldogs). He is chomping at the bit, he was having the best time.”
Various coaches to have worked with Hamill over the years were full of praise.
Steve Dowd was the first, taking the reins of Southport’s under-12 side that his son Max also played in. Hamill was just making the transition from soccer at the time.
“There was this red-headed kid who had no idea but was tackling everything,” Dowd recalled of an under-12 school league trial, his first memory of Hamill.
“He would possibly be the best tackler I’ve seen for a young man. He just chops them in half.
“He is just a competitor, Brock. He could be getting beaten 40-0 and will still be trying his heart out.”
Glen Campbell saw him evolve during his years at Keebra Park.
“Brock matches his hair. It’s red and it’s wild and that’s what Brock turned up to school like in grade eight,” said Campbell, who added Canterbury had made clear of their eagerness to welcome Hamill back as soon as possible.
“He was always a tough rooster and wanting to prove it. He had to work hard at his discipline off the field – it was not bad, he was just mischievous more than anything else – and the teachers grew to love Brock just for his outgoing personality.”
Southport A-grade mentor Mark Ross, who coached Hamill at Cyril Connell Cup level, vividly remembers the young gun’s decisive impact for Keebra in their national schoolboy final triumph last year.
“(Westfields Sports High) hit it up off the kick-off, tackle one in a national final at Leichhardt, and Brock came in and deadset rattled this bloke’s cage,” he said.
“He dropped the ball and that was the tone set for the rest of the final which Keebra won. That pretty much epitomises Brock Hamill.”
Ross added his in-form Tigers side have Hamill’s battle firmly in mind each and every time they take the field.
The Hamill family want to make a difference by raising awareness for a cancer that is rarely spoken about and are urging people to not be embarrassed to check that all is in order.
“Millions of people out there with teenage boys are unaware that this does target young men … even reading stories online, there are kids as young as 14 or 15 that get this cancer,” Kylie said.
“It’s a very silent thing. No one ever talks about it and that’s what we said to Brock, we’re so proud of him that he brought it to our attention and actually said something because a lot of kids don’t.
“A lot of kids are too embarrassed or they don’t have that relationship with their parents where they feel like they can talk about it.
“One of the doctors said to us, if it is caught early it is quite treatable but no one talks about it. People just leave things go too long and then it is too late to treat it.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Hamill and his family, with more than $2000 already donated.
