Canberra born-and-bred Paralympic legend Michael Milton has contracted cancer for the third time. He's to have surgery on Friday.
"I am trying to stay positive and think forward to a time when this is all over and my health is back normal abnormal," he said on Facebook (alluding to how his life was changed by previous cancers).
He posted a picture of himself eating an ice-cream after the diagnosis.
His wife Penni told The Canberra Times that this latest cancer wasn't a recurrence of previous ones but a new one - and one caught at an early stage.
"Getting cancer a third time is a blow," she said, "but we've caught it early."
The bowel cancer is Stage 2 which means the tumour has grown but not spread to other parts of the body - and that was hopeful. More would be known after surgery.
"He knew something was wrong. He was getting frustrated but since the diagnosis, he's been more positive," Mrs Milton said.
The 50-year-old first contracted cancer in his leg when he was nine years old.
But the loss of his leg from the knee down only prompted him to take up sport and defy his disability.
The result was competition in five winter Paralympic Games. As a skier, he set a speed record of 213.65 kilometres per hour.
He broke the world record for running a marathon on crutches. He's also walked the Kokoda Track. Twice.
All told, he won six gold, three silver and two bronze medals in his Paralympic Games career. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
But 16 years ago, he contracted a second cancer, this time in his throat. After surgery - and a lot of bravery - that, too, was beaten.
After that victory, he bounced back to win selection in the summer Paralympics team as a cyclist.
But now cancer has struck again.
He has tried to keep fit to try to get a good recovery, his wife said.
His wife said he was "great"; he was "good". He was, though, worried about the quality of life after survival because his digestive system was already damaged by the throat cancer.
But the man is a fighter. "He's doing pretty well, all things considered," she said.
Apart from his sporting achievements, he has inspired other athletes with a disability.
"My journey is just life. There are good parts and there are bad parts," the athlete said when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
"It's about finding positives in things, enjoying the journey and enjoying it. I'll share that and the lessons with my children now.
"The real challenging part about living with a disability is the low expectations of people around you and the people you meet in our culture."
