Australian actor Luke Jacobz took on a demanding cycling challenge in honour of his late father, turning personal loss into a mission to support cancer research.
The Home and Away star joined the Tour de Cure Signature Tour, a 1,400km bike ride from Canberra to Hobart that raises funds for cancer research, prevention programs and support projects.
The cause is deeply personal for the actor. His father, John, died from brain cancer in 201, a loss Jacobz previously described as the “worst year of his life”.
“I’ve never felt such loss and sadness to see someone I loved so much, slowly slip away and be lost forever,” Luke reflected in a 2019 post about the difficult year.
“The love and support he had was incredible – but it was the cancer that destroyed my world.”
More than a decade later, the impact of that loss remained strong, particularly now that Jacobz is a father himself.
The actor and his wife Raychel Jacobz welcomed a baby boy, John James Scott, in November 2025, and are also parents to a two-year-old daughter, Maisie.
The couple’s newborn son was named in honour of both Luke’s father and Raychel’s father, who also died from cancer.
“As a father of two, my biggest fear is not being able to meet my grandchildren the way my dad didn’t get to meet my children,” Luke told Woman’s Day, in an interview on day five of the tour.
That fear motivated him to take part in the cycling event, which sees riders cover long distances over multiple days.
“Watching my dad go through diagnosis, surgery and radiation was really hard without knowing what the outcome would be,” Luke said.
“So, I want to do what I can to try and improve the process for anyone else going through it.”
Taking part in the charity ride also gave Jacobz hope that one day a cure will be found.
“I am privileged in playing a part in continuing to fund this research, so cancer can become a survivable disease,” he said.
He added he was “excited” that Tour de Cure had already funded more than 238 cancer breakthroughs.
Jacobz was encouraged to join the ride by former Sunrise sports presenter Mark Beretta, who lost his own father, David, to cancer in September 2025.
“It’s very hard to say no to Beretts,” Luke quipped in an interview with The Morning Show earlier this year.
“He’s such a passionate man and to have someone like him leading the pack and getting us involved it’s wonderful.”
So far Jacobz has raised over $14,000 of his $11,000 goal.
“This year marks the 10yrs anniversary of losing my Dad to brain cancer,” he wrote in his fundraiser.
“I am really proud to show my kids that anyone can help. I want to do something that really pushes my limits to do what I can so that maybe others don’t have to go through the pain we went through.”
Images: Instagram
