In the last few days on Clint Shumack's life, he was determined to leave a legacy for his family.
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From a palliative care bed in Wollongong Private Hospital, the 37-year-old wrote his then six-year-old daughter a birthday card to open each year until she turns 21 and bought birthday gifts to mark future milestones.
He wrote loving notes and cards to reassure his wife and high school sweetheart, Dr Danielle Camer, that she would have the strength to live without him, and even started organising a home renovation so she and Sophie, now seven, could move in with her parents for support after his death.
But his most important legacy, Dr Camer said, was inspiring his family to keep raising awareness of the cancer that prematurely took his life, in the hope no other family has to experience their devastating loss.
"Sophie now says she's inspired to be a scientist when she grows up because she really wants to cure cancer, especially melanoma," Dr Camer said.
"Clint was very dedicated and kind, and she's now got that drive to help others so they don't have to go through this."
The North Wollongong man died on December 1 from an aggressive form of melanoma - the most serious type of skin cancer - which started as a blood blister on his heel in 2022.
"After COVID, he started to try and run on the treadmill and he kept getting blood blisters and they kept clearing up," Dr Camer said.
"But then in about May 2022 he noticed a blood blister that just wasn't going away on his heel."
After a three month wait to see a dermatologist, in which the blister grew, the tests shocked everyone by showing it was stage three melanoma which had spread to his lymph nodes.
He had surgery and treatment over the next year which appeared to be working.
But then, after a second round of surgery in October 2023, he just deteriorated rapidly despite scans before the surgery showing he was clear of cancer.
"It turned out he had a microscopic spread where it took over, just kind of bombed his whole body, and he had melanoma in the whole of his liver, his lungs, his heart, his spleen," Dr Camer said.
"The only option then was palliative care."
Grappling with such a huge loss, Dr Camer said she has found comfort in knowing she and her husband - who met when she was 15 - had 20 years together and lived an adventurous and fulfilling life.
She also found hope seeing melanoma treatment pioneers Professor Georgina Long - who treated Clint - and Professor Richard Scolyer being named the Australians of the Year for 2024.
"It's so wonderful to see people who have such good hearts being ambassadors for the country and I know with their drive and their passion for their patients that we will get there," she said.
"And I know we will get to the target of zero deaths from melanoma with more research and funding as well."
This is why, even though it will be painful, the family will take part in Wollongong's Melanoma March this weekend, which they attended last year with Clint.
"Life without Clint is hard and that's why organising a strong contingent for the Wollongong Melanoma March is so important to me," she said.
"Sun safety needs to be better understood and more funding is needed for further treatment advancements, so others don't have to live life without their life partners."
Dr Camer also said she wanted people to know the signs of melanoma, and that it can happen to anyone - even people like Clint, who didn't spend much time outdoors and was meticulous about sun safety.
"For a while we've had this message to look for a mole, but it's not just a mole that can be a melanoma, it can be all types of different shapes and sizes and appearances," she said.
"It's important to be aware of if anything changes with your skin, if there's a blemish that looks a bit dodgy or a bump or anything just go to your GP to get it checked out."
"And if you are still not comfortable, be persistent in getting a biopsy because you have to be an advocate for your own body."
MIA's Melanoma March Wollongong will be held on March 10 at Lang Park, with registrations now open at www.melanomamarch.org.au