After being diagnosed with an incurable brain cancer at the end of last year, Brownsville's Jacob Purcell was given some encouraging news in the past week.
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The 27-year-old father-of-one - who has a fast-growing, aggressive form of the disease which is almost always fatal - was informed his tumour had shrunk.
"The actual mass has started to respond to treatment, so we don't know yet what that means, but it's obviously good news because the chemo is working," his sister Sarah Burton said.
"We have to sit and wait for the chemo to continue for another couple of months and do another in-depth scan in three months' time to measure that."
There will be even more cause for celebration on Saturday night as Jacob and his family get set to attend an all-ages wrestling card held in their honour.
Every cent of proceeds from Rock 'n' Roll Wrestling Presents Wrestling For A Cause, taking place at City Diggers Wollongong at 6.30pm, will go towards helping the struggling family with their mounting financial pressures.
Event organiser and wrestling promoter Luke Potter, who grew up next door to the Purcells in Dapto, said the charity show had already raised $4000 - "a pretty decent effort", he said, which he hopes will rise as they sell more tickets.
The money will prove a godsend with Jacob unable to work and his wife Maddi having to cut back on her hours to help care for him and their daughter Lula.
"We're super pumped that Luke, who I've known since I was in kindergarten, is on board to help us help him with the financial stress," Sarah said.
Jacob's cancer battle began at the end of August last year when he started experiencing microseizures, which presented as a metallic taste in his mouth, pins and needles in his tongue and blurred vision that would last a few seconds.
He was soon diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer and rushed to hospital so neurosurgeons could remove a tumour almost as big as a tennis ball from the right side of his brain.
In the months since, doctors have been treating the Grade 4 astrocytoma, also known as glioblastoma, with rounds of chemotherapy, as well as chemo tablets.
While the prognosis has been devastating for the family, Sarah said her brother was approaching his life-threatening illness with typical hope and positivity.
"Jacob has always been, 'I'm that 5 per cent (who will survive). I've got this, back me cause I'm gonna be okay'.
"So he's always been in such a really brilliant headspace."
She also tipped her hat to Maddi for her strength in "holding down the fort".
In return, Maddi expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Luke, Sarah and everyone else involved for their efforts.
On Saturday night, they will put all their troubles to the side as they sit ringside to watch a clinch of talented wrestlers take each other on in the name of entertainment - something Luke will take great pride in.
"Everyone will be able to come together for a feelgood event and forget about everything going on and we can just put all positive energy towards raising as much funds as we can for Jacob and his family," he said.
- Where: City Diggers Wollongong (82 Church Street, Wollongong NSW, Australia)
- When: Saturday, April 15 at 6.30pm
- Cost: VIP ringside $25, VIP table seating $20, general admission $20
- Tickets available here.
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