Dad shocks doctors by surviving two bouts of cancer and heart condition
A father of two has shocked his doctors by surviving cancer twice, as well as a life-threatening heart condition.
Guillaume Zigan, from Montmorency in Melbourne’s north east, surprised doctors at Austin Health when he managed to beat three serious conditions.
He says he knows what it’s like to hit rock bottom and is now determined to live life to the fullest.
“I’ve been given more than a second chance,” Mr Zigan said. “I’m very, very lucky.”
In 2015, the father of two was diagnosed with leukaemia.
In 2016, he underwent a bone marrow transplant, but relapsed just three months later.
After being given more stem cells and a trial drug, he received the all-clear.
However, a third blow came the following year, as doctors discovered an aortic aneurysm requiring urgent open heart surgery.
“It was very, very tough,” Mr Zigan said.
“I’ve got great support around me, my wife Julia, the kids, my family and my friends, they’ve been incredible through the journey.”
Mr Zigan also credited the team at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre for his remarkable recovery.
“He had three or four life-threatening problems,” Professor Andrew Grigg of Austin Health said.
“But for some reason Guillaume found the inner strength to be able to overcome all those, and that’s just a fantastic, inspirational story.”
“We always said he was a stubborn French man, and really his stubbornness worked in his favour. Because he was like nope, nothing will get me,” his wife Julia said.
Mr Zigan is now even fit enough to be training for a triathlon and is heading to the Australian Transplant Games on the Gold Coast next week.
“If you fight and if you are one of the lucky ones, you can get there,” Mr Zigan said.
