THE sister of a cancer sufferer wanting to share her story with others may have saved Wodonga Raiders player Steve Jolliffe’s life.
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Jolliffe, 21, sought immediate medical advice after Ashleigh Hay spoke to the players at Birallee Park a fortnight ago and has since been diagnosed with testicular cancer.
He had surgery on Wednesday and is waiting the results of tests.
Jolliffe, who played for the Ovens and Murray against the Hampden league last month, will have a follow-up examination next week and is confident of making a full recovery.
“I was having a bit of trouble before Ashleigh actually came but I didn’t think too much of it, to be honest,” Jolliffe said.
“When she spoke though I found it pretty similar to what I had.
“That was the eye-opener for me.
“From my experience every bloke should go and get checked out.
“Thursday is the final examination when they will find out exactly what cancer it is.
“If it’s a certain cancer I will have chemotherapy or radiation or otherwise I could just need regular check-ups and things like that.
“There’s a 95 per cent chance it’s all gone when they take it out.”
The talented Queanbeyan recruit is unlikely to play again this season.
Wodonga Raiders president Nic Conway said the Ovens and Murray club had asked Hay to return to the club.
“It’s been incredible,” Conway said.
“Ashleigh just rang out of the blue and she said she wanted to speak to a few footy clubs in regards to her cause and it went from there.
“She was very nervous but I think that humanised it even more.
“There was a clear message and we are really looking forward to her coming back to reinforce it to the players and people connected with the Wodonga Raiders.
“It really hits home after something like this.”
Hay’s brother, Mitch, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2011 and she is keen to raise awareness for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
“It was a real shock to hear about Steve,” Ashleigh said.
“I’m thinking about trying to see other clubs to get the word out.”