"It's bloody terrifying": New details from John Farnham's sons
John Farnham’s sons have opened up about the signs they mistook for a painful mouth ulcer instead of a cancerous lump.
The legendary singer is recovering after a gruelling surgery on August 23 in which he had a part of his jaw removed due to a cancerous tumour in his mouth.
Robert, 41, and James, 34, said they were worried when they saw their dad after the surgery because he couldn’t speak before he reassured them he would be getting better.
“When we first went in and saw him, he couldn't actually talk but we're like 'Dad, you're gonna push through. You're gonna fight',” Robert said on A Current Affair.
“He kept sticking his fist in the air, going 'yeah'.”
The pair mentioned that the first sign that led them down to the harrowing discovery of cancer was when their father had trouble sleeping.
“He likes to sleep on his side, and he had a lump in his cheek which mum noticed too and made him go to the dentist,” James said.
“The dentist noticed it too and referred him to someone that knew more about it.”
The “ulcer” was causing John incredible pain when it rubbed against his cheek and soon enough they were told it was cancer.
“It turned out to be cancerous. It's bloody terrifying,” Robert said.
“It was unexpected. It wasn't something anyone was prepared for,” James said.
The boys credited their mum for her strength and support as the family pushed through the terrifying diagnosis.
“Without Mum, I think things would fall apart very, very fast,” Robert said.
“She's a very strong woman,” his younger brother James agreed.
The pair also thanked fans for their outpouring of support toward their dad as he went into surgery and during his recovery.
“It was kind of comforting to know that Australia was behind him, I know that he appreciated that, I remember when we first told him, he got teary,” James said.
“He never expects everyone to still love him.
“But they do, so it was nice for him to hear that, thank you everyone.”
Images: Getty/A Current Affair