AFL world rallies around Jamie Cripps and family after wife shares worrying update
Liv Cripps had a second operation to treat her thyroid cancer.
The AFL world has rallied around the wife of West Coast forward Jamie Cripps after she revealed she had undergone a second operation for thyroid cancer. Liv Cripps took to Instagram to urge others to "get your lumps and bumps checked" as she shared a picture of herself from a hospital bed after her second round of surgery for the cancer.
Liv was diagnosed with cancer days before the couple got married in October 2021. And the 26-year-old revealed the news to her family, friends and social media followers after they tied the knot. Liv said at the time the decision was made due to not wanting people to feel sorry for her on one of the happiest days of her life, her wedding day. "I didn’t want everyone at the wedding to be all, ‘Oh, poor Liv, I’m so sorry’," she said in December 2021 in an interview with Perth Now.
“At the age of 26, (cancer) is just the furthest thing from your mind. It was the last thing I was expecting. Jamie went grey, I was in shock. It was such an emotional time.”
That interview was shortly after she shared her cancer diagnosis on social media, with the then-26-year-old uploading a picture of herself in the hospital. Now three years on, she shared another update, this time with a picture of herself in a hospital gown and hooked up to oxygen after undergoing another surgery to attempt to rid her of cancer.
She captioned the post: "Round 2 and a few less lymph nodes later. This is your reminder to get those lumps n bumps checked!! #fkcancer." The update was met with care and concern from her loved ones, with her comment section inundated with messages of support.
The wife of West Coast Eagles player Chris Masten, Emmi, wrote: "Li️v - I’m so sorry to hear this!! Sending all the love to you️." Eagles star Jack Darling's wife Courtney also added: “Love you, my strong brave friend."
While netball star Nat Medhurst also commented: “Sending love.” The messages of love and support didn't stop there with others writing "praying for you" and "sending lots of love".
Difficult few years for the Cripps family
It's been a long and difficult road for the Cripps couple in recent years following the devastating diagnosis. Liv underwent her first operation to treat the cancer less than a week after she was married in the picturesque serenity of Wilyabrup, on the southwest coast of Western Australia.
She uncovered the cancer after noticing a lump in her neck while showering. Like so many, when she first felt the lump, she rationalised it as nothing to worry about. Liv had recently been vaccinated for Covid and believed it either had to do with that or it was just her body being run down after caring for a young toddler.
RELATED:
Jonathan Brown goes public with eye-opening claim about Collingwood
Damien Hardwick goes public with startling revelation about Nick Daicos
Brayden Maynard accused of 'pathetic' act as AFL fans call for action
However, she decided to be safe and get it checked with her GP after she noticed it had continued to grow and that is when she learnt she had papillary thyroid cancer "The lady (doing the scan) went a bit weird and it was taking forever, so I just felt like, something doesn’t feel right here," she recalled.
“You hear the word, ‘cancer’ and you immediately think of the worst-case scenario. It was just a very sad time. Even telling close friends and family, that was the worst thing. I don’t think either of us could get the words out without crying.”
Thyroid cancer is the ninth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and it is estimated that around 4000 people were diagnosed with the disease last year. The Cancer Council reports the five-year survival rate for thyroid cancer is 97 per cent.
