Cassel Research Centre

Withstanding excruciating pain was relentless in eating and drinking during intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This he described as severe “inside-out sunburn.” Cancer related stressors were experienced for three years. Dr Costello’s self-taught techniques were learned the hard way and evolved urgently with bitter and sometimes even humorous experiences for pain tolerance and threshold endurance.

Without detection but against doctor’s orders during chemotherapy recuperation, he camouflaged intravenous PIC dressings with a muscle strain bandage. Disguised carefully with watertight gladwrap, he went swimming.

Although taught to be cautious, finally Dr Costello was “virtually sprung” by his endearing chemotherapy nurses because in a hurried mistake, by error he used a different brand of adhesive chemo dressing. Until then his oncologist and nurses presumed he was just plain clumsy with chemo dressings while showering.