A farming accident turned Gavin Hulm’s life upside down this year but the Wagga dance instructor is kicking back with a vengeance.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Hulm is not your average ballroom dance tutor.
He plies his trade working full time on a farm 40 minutes out of Wagga ranching cattle and it was this second occupation that both scarred and saved him.
“I was working with my cattle earlier this year when one of my steers kicked me in the side,” he said.
“I was sick for a few months and I just couldn’t figure out why so I went down to the doctors to check it out.”
A series of tests culminating in CT scans showed Mr Hulm had suffered a bruised heart and multiple cracked ribs and revealed a cancerous tumour on his kidney.
“That biopsy knocked me around a fair bit,” he said.
“My doctor in Coolamon had prepared me for bad news because it was never really looking good but it was a while before I was finally diagnosed in October, right before I went on holiday actually.”
The impact on Mr Hulm’s professional and personal life could not be overstated.
“Both my occupations are very physical, dancing and farming,” he said.
“I was constantly in pain and with traditional surgery, I would have potentially been out of work for six-to-12 months.”
Thankfully, medical advancements mean Mr Hulm is eligible for a robotic partial nephrectomy, a costly operation that would reduce his recovery time to four weeks.
The dance community is rallying behind him to ensure the surgery is possible.
“Gavin’s a very big supporter for many different things and is almost always the first one to help out so we’re getting some groups together,” said Tim Koschel, owner of Foxtrot Dance Studio, where Mr Hulm teaches.
“We’ll also look at doing a kid’s fundraiser in January next year.”
Life in the Spotlight organiser and Specialist Medical Resources Foundation founder, Angela Boulton, is organising a fundraiser for Mr Hulm. She said it was the least the community could do for such a generous man.
“Gavin’s been such a kind and caring figure and we really want to support him with this concert,” she said.
“We’ve already organised some performers and it should be a really great night.”
The fundraiser was a bombshell for Mr Hulm, who said he was “extremely humbled and blessed to have such friends”.
He also wanted to take the opportunity to raise awareness about cancer.
The fundraising event will take place at Kildare Hall from 7pm on January 20. For more information, visit ‘Love for Gav - Helping Gavin Hulm Kick Cancer's A**’ on Facebook.
