The Brisbane Broncos player who returned to the field after overcoming a very rare form of cancer has received the news that no athlete wants to hear.
Toni Hunt has received a dreadful cancer diagnosis.
Last year, a Broncos athlete appeared to overcome sickness.
Hunt will resume chemotherapy.
The Brisbane Broncos have been shaken by the news that player Toni Hunt has been diagnosed with cancer after seemingly beating it last year.
After a regular fitness check, the 33-year-old mother of three was diagnosed with stage-four cancer last March.
The 33-year-old mother of three was diagnosed with stage-four cancer last March after undergoing a regular fitness check.
Hunt received 12 weeks of treatment for cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, a highly uncommon disease with little symptoms.
She had her gallbladder, half of her liver and two lymph nodes removed to beat the disease – and was given the all clear to come back and play footy afterwards.
Just weeks ago, Hunt received the heartbreaking news for a second time after spots were detected in a scan. She will now start chemotherapy again.
Hunt returned to the footy field for Wynnum Manly earlier this year almost exactly 12 months from her initial diagnosis.
Hunt played in the Queensland derby clash against the Cowboys in Townsville after making a comeback for the Broncos in her second NRLW match.
She was emotional as she crossed for her first NRLW try as the Broncos overwhelmed their opponents.
‘I was crying inside when I ran out there, it was the best feeling and I was on cloud nine,’ she told NRL.com
‘Tahu [Hunt’s partner] flew up for the game and Mum said the kids were jumping up and down around the TV when I scored.
‘I’m so proud of myself. I was definitely on cloud nine and feel heightened that I was able to achieve and believe I could do it.’
Skipper Ali Brigginshaw said watching Hunt get back to her best was inspirational.
‘I’ve never met anyone like her who can just go ‘hey I’ve got cancer but I don’t give a sh*t. I don’t want anyone to mention it or feel sorry for me, I just want to beat it,’ she said.
We’d all check in with her but she wanted us to get on with it and even when she was going through chemo she still wanted to be out there on the field.
‘She wasn’t nervous going into that game and was so grateful to be out there. You think you’re having a tough day at footy and then you can look at Toni and know you’re not.
‘To see her score it meant so much to us as a team. It’s probably the career highlight for me and some of the other girls just because we’ve been through most of it with her.
‘To be there in the sad times and then see her smile with her partner and kids, I’ve been amazed by her courage through it all. It’s unbelievable.’
The Broncos are also rallying around player Lavinia Gould, whose 19-year-old daughter has reportedly been put in a medically induced coma.
Gould’s daughter, Kaia, underwent open heart surgery on Monday.
