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An inspirational professor who was named as the Australian of the Year suffered a catastrophic bike accident just days before the ceremony which left him battered and bruised. 

But Professor Richard Scolyer AO showed little sign of his painful ordeal when he accepted his award last Thursday and delivered a moving speech to the country about the dangers of melanoma. 

Prof Scolyer and his University of Sydney colleague Professor Georgina Long AO were honoured for their work on treatments for the disease, which in its advanced form was fatal just a decade ago.

The award was especially poignant given Prof Scolyer was last year diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer. 

He has selflessly offered himself as a test subject for pioneering research in a bid to help save brain cancer victims in the future.

But when Prof Scolyer took to the stage, he had nasty red gashes down one side of his face and a swollen cheek. 

It was the only visible sign he had been badly banged up.

When Professor Scolyer took to the stage, he had nasty red gashes down one side of his face and a swollen cheek

When Professor Scolyer took to the stage, he had nasty red gashes down one side of his face and a swollen cheek

Professor Richard Scolyer AO showed little sign of his painful ordeal when he accepted his gong and delivered a moving speech to the country about the dangers of melanoma last Thursday

Professor Richard Scolyer AO showed little sign of his painful ordeal when he accepted his gong and delivered a moving speech to the country about the dangers of melanoma last Thursday

Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO (pictured together) have been jointly-named Australian of the Year

Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO (pictured together) have been jointly-named Australian of the Year

Prof Scolyer had taken a tumble over his bike handles on his way to joining a park run in Sydney on Saturday, January 20 – just five days before the award ceremony.

The professor was bloodied and bruised, had a gash on his face and had an ache in his neck, but he got on with his day and ran the five kilometres in 27 minutes.

He wasn’t as fast as he usually is, but he finds exercise and training for triathalons a good way to switch off from the pressure of his day-to-day work and ongoing treatment.

On Monday, he revealed he had started his 11th course of immunotherapy after recovering from the crash.

‘No exercise all week after bike crash last Saturday,’ he said.

‘Still on a high after last week’s Australian of the Year events.’

Prof Long and Prof Scolyer, who are co-directors of the Melanoma Institute, issued a stark warning to all Australians ahead of Australia Day in their acceptance speech.

The researchers from the University of Sydney jointly received the accolade from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the 2024 awards held in Canberra on Thursday evening

The researchers from the University of Sydney jointly received the accolade from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the 2024 awards held in Canberra on Thursday evening

He had taken a tumble over his bike handles on his way to complete a park run in Sydney on Saturday, January 20 - just five days before the award ceremony

He had taken a tumble over his bike handles on his way to complete a park run in Sydney on Saturday, January 20 – just five days before the award ceremony

‘Sadly everyone knows someone with melanoma. It’s as Aussie as our golden beaches and our sweeping plains,’ Prof Scolyer told the crowd.

‘We’re the melanoma gold medalists but this is not a gold medal to be proud of. In most cases, melanoma is preventable with sun safe behavior and prevention is always better than a cure.

‘Yet tomorrow, thousands of Aussies will be soaking up the sun, working on their tans. Or as we see it, brewing their melanomas.

‘When it comes to tanning, we are swimming outside the flags. A tan is skin cells in trauma from overexposure to UV radiation from the sun.

‘There is nothing healthy about a tan, nothing. Our bronzed Aussie culture is actually killing us.

‘So we call on advertisers and social media influencers: stop glamourising tanning. Or using it to sell or advertise or entertain. And to our fellow Australians, when you see it, call it out, demand change.’

The inspirational professor who was awarded Australian of the Year suffered a bike accident just days before the ceremony which left him battered and bruised

The inspirational professor who was awarded Australian of the Year suffered a bike accident just days before the ceremony which left him battered and bruised

The cancer experts have developed a number of world-leading treatments following world leading research in immunotherapy.

Professors Long and Scolyer’s pioneering treatment approach activates the patient’s immune system – as opposed to surgery and chemo or radiotherapies – meaning the malignant condition is now curable.

The two professors have developed a series of world-first treatments based on their melanoma breakthroughs.

He then became the world’s first brain cancer patient to have pre-surgery combination immunotherapy, while also receiving doses of a personalised vaccine to combat the tumour.

Even though the experimental therapy was a risk to Prof Scolyer’s own life, it was through this treatment that the pair advanced the understanding of brain cancer to the benefit of future patients.

While not completely cured of the cancer, recent brain scans have returned positive results, with no sign of a recurrence of the glioblastoma after eight months of treatment.

Prof Scolyer has also shared his progress and the unorthodox treatment process on social media, generating widespread public interest.

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This post first appeared on Daily mail