Collingwood president Jeff Browne is using his club’s premiership success as inspiration in his battle against incurable cancer.
He’s speaking out about his shock diagnosis because he’s angry at a government decision which he says will cost thousands of lives.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Jeff Browne on battle with incurable disease.
Stream analysis, local footy and the biggest moments free on 7plus >>
Browne is a myeloma patient and, out of all the roles the successful businessman has had, this one is without a doubt the most gruelling.
”It is presently incurable and that’s a shock to anybody,” Browne told 7NEWS.
Browne was diagnosed with the blood cancer in September.
He kept the news private during Collingwood’s premiership run and celebrations.
But now he insists he’s coping well after six of eight chemotherapy cycles, and he he is using his beloved Magpies for inspiration /
”It’s like a football club ….,” he said.
“You know, you finish 17th two years ago and you win the premiership two years later.
“If you fight hard, apply yourself, show discipline in your life and determination and believe, then good things happen.”
Browne is speaking out now because he’s angry about a Federal Government decision to defer a decision to grant public funding for CAR-T cell therapy.
CAR-T cell therapy has been hailed as ‘the future’ of cancer treatment for myeloma patients.
But after the Medical Services Advisory Committee’s call, hundreds of terminally ill people are furious.
The decision comes after Mt Eliza father Geoff Nyssen got the treatment in America and is now cancer free.
”A delay of any number of years in making a decision to support this will mean thousands of Australians will die unnecessarily,” Browne said.
“I can’t understand a reason for delaying a decision when the consequences are so dire if you don’t do it.”
But nothing will douse Browne’s determination.
”I’m determined to beat it … and I’ve got too much to do in my life,” he said.
“If I hit the wall I’ll hit it hard and they’ll have to scrape me off.”
Browne is the father of former Channel 7 AFL reporter Tom Browne.
He became president of Collingwood at the end of 2021 and began a series of sweeping changes..
One of those decisions led to the appointment of coach Craig McRae.
In 2021 Collingwood finished second bottom and last year they won the AFL premiership in McRae’s second year in charge.