Vale to our beloved Clive France

September 25, 2023

On 20th September 2023, Clive passed away peacefully with his father Jack, his wife Jane, and his sons Henry and Zac by his side.

Utterly adored, devoted, deeply loving and loved – husband to Jane, father to Henry and Zac, step-father to Louis and Layla, son to Jack and Patricia, brother to Victoria, son-in-law to Paula, Michael and Cheryl, brother-in-law to Anna and Matthew. Oldest best mate to Patrick and Lois. Best mate to a few privileged others, you know who you are. Incredible and loyal friend to so, so many across the globe. Many, many hearts are breaking and will never be the same.

In many ways, Clive was intensely private with his health battle, particularly in these final challenging few months. There are a number of reasons for Clive’s relentless stoicism, but it boils down to one – his desire to keep living.   To not let his disease become the focus of the life he loved.

In contrast to his strong wish for privacy, he felt an overwhelming responsibility to share his journey publicly via this website and his mymisdiagnosis project, so that others in a similar position wouldn’t feel alone – and most importantly, to shout his message far and wide – TRUST YOUR GUT. Only you know your body best. If a diagnosis doesn’t feel right, keep pushing for the right answers. Clive kept pushing for answers, for many years. He continued to push for answers despite the lack of support from those he needed it from the most.  He was told he had a DVT despite displaying no symptoms of a DVT. He was advised he had an unusual vascular system, despite no clinical evidence to back this medical diagnosis up.  Clive faced much adversity over the years, yet he continued to remain positive, to tread his own path and fight his disease until the very, very end. You can read more about the evolution of his medical journey on the timeline of this website.

And now here we are. At the end of Clive’s physical presence amongst us, his spirit, strength, courage, grace, wisdom and brilliance will reside in the hearts and memories of the many, many people who loved him.

For Clive…

Fields of blue-bells, winding roads through trees,
Fine dining at the end of a day spent in the ocean,
The wind on your back, the sun on your beautiful face.
This is my hope for you, wherever you go.

Music, the kind that moves you,
That brings you to memories past and new,
A microphone, and a stage, just for you.
This is my hope for you, wherever you go.

To know how deeply loved you are, how admired and inspired you are
How full of grace, forgiveness, compassion, and life you are,
What an anchor and a home you are.
This is my hope for you, wherever you go.

To feel love in your heart,
To feel comfort, to feel freedom,
To feel full of peace.
This is my hope for you, wherever you go.

Vale Clive France
21 September 1968 – 20 September 2023


myMisdiagnosis social media campaign

April 19, 2023

Following a successful pilot run, watch out from today as we launch our myMisdiagnosis social media campaign. Coming to a Facebook stream, Instagram feed, TikTok stream and Messenger app near you very soon…

There are five misdiagnosis examples in the campaign, a tiny sample of the thousands of misdiagnoses featured at myMisdiagnosis.com. 

The myMisdiagnosis.com project is a global medical misdiagnosis database resource, designed to help patients and carers explore the possibilities for misdiagnosis and to increase awareness about the issue of medical diagnostic error in general.


Do we need to talk?

March 18, 2023

I know how hard it can be for friends. Does he want to talk about it? Should I just talk about the weather? Crack a joke?

Everybody responds differently. Everyone has different needs. Some cancer patients positively thrive from the attention they get from well-meaning people. For others, it’s a constant reminder of what they’re going through.

And what might work for you one day, may not work the next.

I appreciate and am grateful for the people that do reach out, and I know it is always well-intentioned.

Saying that I find that most days, I don’t want to dwell on it. I save that for the days when I’ll see the doctor. If I have to keep talking about it, I can’t look past it, and it makes it harder to get on with life.

So, yes, I appreciate how hard it is for friends and family. Knowing what to say and when to say it. There’s no right time or wrong time – it’s a bloody minefield.


Thank you

February 15, 2023

Partners and families of cancer fighters and survivors, I salute you all.

I try as hard as I can to not be a burden to my wife and family. But the simple fact that I am fighting cancer, means that I am a burden by default, and there is no escaping it.

And some days, whether it’s awaiting a result or going in for another round of gruelling treatments, the burden increases. If I am restricted from doing things, I become even more of a burden.

And so it goes on.

So, to my wife and family, and to all partners and families of all cancer fighters everywhere, thank you for everything you do.


1 in 7 medical diagnoses could be wrong

November 1, 2022

This statistic is revealing.

There’s no question that the majority of medical diagnoses are correct.

But that a perspective paper, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, suggests that up to one in seven medical diagnoses could be wrong, and it makes for compelling reading.

We should absolutely trust our medical practitioners. But it is also healthy to ask questions. It is healthy to research. And to increase awareness of other potential diagnoses to rule in or out.

And that’s what myMisdiagnosis is all about. We’re trying to raise awareness of the risk of misdiagnosis so that patients can ask the right questions and get the right answers.

Trust your doctor. But trust your gut feelings too.