Mr Burgess, a JEP columnist and Channel TV reporter, has what he calls ‘five nasties’ in his lungs, trachea and oesophagus and is one of the approximately 600 people diagnosed with cancer each year in Jersey.
It is the third time he has battled the disease.
He is asking Islanders to back Cancer Research UK’s campaign for World Cancer Day by wearing a unity band on 4 February – which is also the day he finishes his chemotherapy.
The 44 year-old has been missing from TV screens since November while he deals with months of exhausting treatment.
He said: ‘I decided to go public about the cancer partly because it’s my nature to be open. But also, I was getting increasingly tired of explaining to people, one by one, what was happening.
‘The response has been overwhelming – support, love and practical help from friends, colleagues and strangers, and of course from my husband Alan.
‘Once I knew what I was in for, I thought “right, this is real. I’ve got cancer – get on with it”. And I’ve found writing about it cathartic.’
Mr Burgess, who lives in St Helier, was first diagnosed with the disease in 1999 when he had testicular cancer which spread to his chest and lungs.
He was treated with chemotherapy and all was well until 2015 and 2016, when tumours were found in his lungs. Again, treatment seemed to have dealt with the problem.
A routine scan at the beginning of 2019 showed no sign of any problem. However ten months later he was shocked by the news that five tumours had emerged.
‘For it to have come back 20 years later is very, very unusual,’ Mr Burgess said.
‘And for it to return again in such a sudden and aggressive way, set alarm bells ringing,’ he added.
Within a week he had seen an oncologist and although surgery wasn’t an option, doctors were confident they could treat the new growths with chemotherapy, which started almost immediately.
Mr Burgess said the early days were an emotional rollercoaster with tearful moments prompted by everything from the kindness of friends to the John Lewis Christmas advert.
Lynn Daly, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman, said: ‘We’re enormously grateful to Gary for his support and illustrating how important it is for people to wear a unity band on World Cancer Day.
‘Our research has played a role in developing eight of the world’s top ten cancer drugs.
‘By making a donation of just £2 for a unity band, people will be funding world-class research to help more people, like Gary, survive. Together, we will beat cancer.’
To get a unity band and make a donation, visit the Cancer Research UK shop in Halkett Place, St Helier, or go online at cruk.org/worldcancerday.
