If You Met Dean at the Footy, You’d Never Know…

If you met Dean Frerk down the footy field on a Saturday, he’d probably chew your ear off about the Brisbane Lions winning the Grand Final, or who he is tipping to win next season – (The Lions). He might try and persuade you to go for a run with him the next morning, or chat about how his daughter Caitlyn was going. What he probably wouldn’t mention is that he has only just recovered from a battle with sarcoma spanning 14 years.

When Dean noticed a noticed a lump on his forearm in 2011, he didn’t think it was anything to be concerned about.

“At first, I did the usual bloke thing – told myself it was nothing, and ignored it,” he said.

When he lost feeling in his fingers and thumb, he decided it was time to go and see a GP, accompanied by his partner.

After an MRI, the surgeon said Dean had a nerve sheath tumour, the majority of which are benign.

“I was told I had nothing to worry about,” said Dean.

“It was growing off my nerve and apparently a simple surgery was all that was required to completely remove it. Post surgery, I was told a portion had been removed, but not all, as it was too close to the nerve. We were under no impression that there was anything to worry about and thought that was that.”

Four months later, Dean received an unexpected phone call from the surgeon telling him he had to come into the surgery because the doctor needed to see him urgently. That is when Dean first heard that he had Synovial sarcoma. Like many people who are diagnosed, he'd not heard of the rare cancer before.

“I had never thought about getting a second opinion,” said Dean.  “I had no reason not to believe the original diagnosis of a benign tumour, which had been mostly removed.”

Initially Dean’s consultations were at a local hospital in Newcastle. As soon as he received the sarcoma diagnosis, Dean was told by the original surgeon that he needed to get to an appointment with a specialist, which meant clearing his calendar and travelling to the Royal Price Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Sydney. Dean was told that unfortunately the original surgeon was not a sarcoma specialist clinician and therefore was not able to perform the correct surgical procedure for his sarcoma tumour.   The sarcoma clinical specialist said Dean would likely lose an arm, but the team at RPA would determine the best course of action for his treatment.

“It was just before Christmas,” he recalls.

“I’d just bought my daughter a new bike. My first thought was that I better get home to put it together while I still could.”

Initially Dean was told he would have to go directly into surgery but after consultation with the multidisciplinary team at RPA with the full team of clinical sarcoma specialists, it was decided to treat with chemotherapy and radiotherapy prior to surgery. At this time Dean was considering the threat of losign an arm. The late Professor Martin Tattersall treated Dean at the RPA, admitting Dean for a five-day treatment of chemotherapy. Then he was back to Newcastle and then back to Sydney for the treatment a week later.  This challenging routine became reality for Dean, with PET scans in Sydney every 12 months then CT & MRI in Newcastle every six months for the next five years.

Going back and forth so regularly took its toll on Dean.

“I didn’t have many people around to support me, as all my family live in Tasmania. I was unaware that sarcoma support groups existed.”

Dean’s sarcoma didn’t respond to the chemotherapy. He had no choice but to go in for a second surgery to remove the rest of the tumour, followed by a course of radiation every day for 30 days, which Dean was fortunately able to have at a hospital back in Newcastle. The treatment seemed to be a success. Life as normal, resumed.

Sarcoma recurrence is most common in the first two years after its original diagnosis. A year later, in 2012, Dean’s worst fears were realised when he discovered another small lump. He was rushed in for yet another operation to remove it. Each time he went under the knife there was the looming threat that he might wake to be told he had lost his arm. But even after his third surgery, he awoke with relief to find out that this was not the case.

After four years of clear scans, the unthinkable happened. In 2016, another lump resurfaced in the same spot. A fourth surgery was booked to cut out the recurrence. When he awoke, Dean realised that in the efforts to remove the cancerous tumour, a nerve had been nicked.

“The surgeon had gone so deep he had cut the nerve,” says Dean.

“But it wasn’t too serious. All it meant was that I couldn’t bend my thumb properly. I still can’t. But that is much better than losing an arm.”

This was the last surgery Dean would have for sarcoma.

Dean continued PET scans in Sydney every 12 months then CT & MRI in Newcastle every six months, accompanied by his loving partner Lyndal.

“Since then, everything has been fine,” says Dean.       

“Then one day in July 2024, I asked my doctor when I should come back for my next scan. When he said I didn’t need to, that I’d finally reached all clear, I couldn’t believe my ears. I didn’t think I’d ever hear those words come out his mouth. Lyndal and I were absolutely overwhelmed with joy.”

It was time for Dean to start enjoying life again. To say he loves footy is an understatement. He likes playing as much as he likes watching The Lions. During his recovery he got back onto the field, but as an umpire at the start until I felt comfortable playing again.

“Keeping myself involved in the game really helped,” he says. “Of course, it was frustrating to not be in thick of it – I was a terrible umpire!”

“I play in an over 35s competition with other oldies,” he laughs. 

“Every year, my doctor asks me if I’m still playing, and I tell him I will never stop, He warns me of the risk of what could happen if I got a decent enough knock on that arm. But my sport is something that's always kept me going and it’s a risk I am willing to take.”

“Despite the mental and physical impacts sarcoma had on me, I always resolved that it would never stop me doing anything.”

“When I was told I may lose an arm, I said to a friend I used to have a kick about with that if it happened, we would be getting in the park every afternoon, so I could train myself to still play whatever the outcome”.

Life is back to normal for Dean and his partner Lyndal since their ordeal with sarcoma. He’s back at work, back on the footy field and enjoying life to the full. His daughter is now nearly 26 years old and able to build her own bikes – but it’s safe to say that sarcoma wasn’t enough to stop him building her Christmas present back in 2011, or into the future.