LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE BRETT SHEEHAN
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AS A MEMBER OF VICTORIA POLICE’S SOLO UNIT FOR THE PAST NINE YEARS, LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE BRETT SHEEHAN HAS SEEN HIS FAIR SHARE OF FUNERALS.
“Being a typical male, I hadn’t had a health check for several years and I decided in that moment to get myself checked.”
The specialist motorcycle unit of the State Highway Patrol, which operates patrols on both sealed and unsealed roads throughout Victoria, often conducts motorcades at high-profile funerals and the funerals of police.
“I had 12 months off work and, during that time, I did nine months of chemotherapy, six weeks of daily radiation and had 20 surgeries,” Ldg Sen Const Sheehan said.
This duty means Solo Unit members may sometimes escort people they knew and worked with to their final resting place. It was during one of these moments that Ldg Sen Const Sheehan had a startling thought that forced him to take stock of his own health, despite being fit and active and having no specific health concerns. “The majority of the funerals we escort are fellow officers or their families,” Ldg Sen Const Sheehan said. “I was in a funeral escort for a police officer I had worked with. He was diagnosed with cancer and died very unexpectedly. “The thought suddenly hit me that the next funeral escort could be for me.
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POLICE LIFE | AUTUMN 2020
That spur-of-the-moment decision would end up completely changing, and ultimately saving, Ldg Sen Const Sheehan’s life. On 7 May 2017, Ldg Sen Const Sheehan was diagnosed with bowel cancer after three malignant tumours were located during a colonoscopy. During the next two-and-a-half years, he endured extensive treatments and surgeries.
Throughout all his treatment, the 49-year-old said he was determined to stay strong, for his family and friends who rallied around him. “I’ve been a police officer for nearly 31 years and have been in some pretty tough situations, but nothing has ever tested me more that battling this cancer,” he said. Almost three years later, Ldg Sen Const Sheehan has a clean bill of health and is using what he calls his ‘second lease on life’ to try and give back and make a difference. He is in the final stages of training to run his first ever marathon. In addition to helping ease some of the side effects of chemotherapy, running is also an opportunity for Ldg Sen Const Sheehan to raise awareness of bowel cancer and money for cancer research charities.
“No one should have to endure what I have,” Ldg Sen Const Sheehan said. “Running helps with the stimulation of damaged nerves in my hands and feet, which are the result of the chemo, so I’ve been running a lot in the last couple of years. “I signed up for the Run Melbourne Marathon as a challenge for myself and mostly because I want to help. I want to be able to give to cancer research and I want to raise awareness. “I also want to reach out to my fellow police officers and their families. Our personal health can become a low priority in this job. We are constantly working to help others, so we can neglect ourselves at times. “I want to show people how important it is to get regular health checks. It doesn’t matter what age you are, your level of fitness, your diet or your lifestyle – you need to get regular health checks.”
Images Ready to run 01 Ldg Sen Const Brett Sheehan is trading his riding boots for running shoes to raise awareness of bowel cancer, a disease he battled for nearly two years. 02 Ldg Sen Const Kylie Jane will take part in the London Marathon in April, running the event in a Victoria Police Fighting PTSD singlet to help raise awareness for police mental health. Editorial: Danielle Ford Photography: Grant Condon
