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Duncan Jones, 44, along with Max Pascual, 46, plan to embark on an endless journey around the country in early 2024. This decision comes after they sold all their possessions and resigned from their steady jobs.
Pascual expressed their yearning to break free from what she described as the “trap” of conventional living.
“We were residing on the Gold Coast, enjoying all the comforts—houses, cars. Then, we relocated to Bundaberg, which felt like a fresh start,” she explained.
“However, we soon found ourselves ensnared in the same cycle: securing a job meant needing a car, which required staying employed just to cover the car expenses,” she added.
“Many people on the Gold Coast live in grand homes, but they carry heavy debts. They’re stuck in their jobs just to manage that financial burden,” Pascual remarked.
Pascual and Jones were lucky to be debt-free and simply traded in their big house for a 1997 caravan.
The first 12 months saw them travel across Victoria, South Australia, NSW and Queensland.
But life permanently on the road faced its biggest hurdle last year when former plumber Jones noticed a suspicious lump on his neck.
“I had a bit of pain in my neck, it was like a tender lump,” he said.
“His dad was the one that said, ‘Oh, you should go see a doctor’,” Pascual added.
Pascual and Jones had stopped over in Colac in western Victoria when they visited a GP.
They continued booking specialist appointments on the road as they traversed the state, including a biopsy and a CT scan.
The diagnosis was grim: a stage 4 salivary duct carcinoma.
Jones had no idea a rare cancer was laying dormant in his neck as he and his partner lived their dream on the road.
“It wasn’t diagnosed properly until two weeks ago,” Pascual said.
“Because it’s a very rare cancer.”
Jones needed radical surgery to remove the tumour, which has impacted his vision and facial nerves, and will now undergo radiotherapy treatment.
Overall, his survival rate for the next five years is around 35 per cent.
“It’s not great,” Jones said, adding that he had always been “healthy” before the lump appeared.
An advanced cancer diagnosis has certainly not spooked the couple into settling down somewhere, though.
Now with itchier feet than ever, Jones is more than happy continuing his treatment on the road.
“The medical system, in a nutshell, has been exceptional,” Jones said.
“I have absolutely zero interest in settling down.
“It’s not an option, I couldn’t think of anything worse.”
Surprisingly, Jones said he rarely encounters any issues with undergoing cancer treatment while travelling.
In fact, they both agree it can be more “convenient”.
“Some people would find it difficult if they got this diagnosis and had a mortgage,” Pascual said.
Jones is now also “medically retired” and won’t be able to work on the road.
Pascual, meanwhile, picks up odd jobs at caravan parks whenever the couple need to top off their funds.
Their plan is to continue driving around Australia for years to come – as long as Jones is well enough.
“We’re living well, living on the road does give you freedom,” Pascual said.
“The comment that is made to us frequently from older travellers is, I wish we’d done it when we were your age,” Jones added.
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