TURNING 50 is an important milestone in anyone's life, but it's even more important when, for a period of time, it was thought that you might not make it.
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At just 18 years of age, Peter Asimus was diagnosed with leukaemia, and had to face the reality that cancer could ultimately take his life.
But thanks to a life-saving bone marrow transplant, donated from his then 10-year-old sister, he has now reached his 50th year.
To celebrate, approximately 60 of Mr Asimus' closest friends and family gathered at the Kelso Hotel, on Saturday, June 17, to share a beverage, and share the stories of his life.
The most poignant of those stories - his battle with cancer.
When Mr Asimus should have been spending the first official year of his adulthood celebrating new found freedom, he instead spent it in a hospital bed.
For six months, Mr Asimus underwent chemotherapy and a subsequent bone marrow transplant on March 6, 1992, which ultimately cured him of the disease.
Looking back, Mr Asimus said it was the worst time of his life.
"I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy," he said.
"I used to be a shearer and work in shearing sheds, and I was 75 kilograms and very strong and during treatment I dropped back to 48 kilos."
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Following the treatment, Mr Asimus was forced to spend around two months recovering from the transplant, and in this time, it was recommended that he not go back to work.
This is another reason as to why Mr Asimus believes he is still alive today, but it has been a "'hard slog" for him to achieve his current bill of good health.
Even so, he still attends regular hospital appointments to monitor his health following the transplant.
Despite there still being implications of the disease that he suffered more than 30 years ago, Mr Asimus said that he always tries to keep a positive outlook on life.
"I'm just enjoying life to the fullest now because you never know when your time is up," he said.
Though there were a large number of attendees at the event, there was one person who was notably absent.
The sister who saved his life.
Unfortunately Kylie Price (nee Asimus) was unable to attend the event, as it was not viable for her to travel from Queensland.
But without her, Mr Asimus may not have been able to celebrate in the first place.
When Ms Price was only 10-years-old, she underwent a bone marrow harvesting procedure, so that stem cells could be donated to her older brother.
The procedure didn't come without its share of risks.
"It was a bit of a scary experience, because in those days, when you go through the process, you can actually die through the process of donating it," she said.
This didn't stop her, because according to Ms Price, that's just what you do for family, despite knowing the possible implications for herself.
"I remember the night before I developed emotional asthma, and I guess it was just all rattling through my head because it was the first thing the specialist said to me was 'you are aware, that you are ten, but you can die throughout the process'," she said.
Thankfully Ms Price survived the procedure, which involves going under anaesthetic, having an epidural and a giant needle pushed into the pelvic bone, where bone marrow is then essentially sucked out.
Following the surgery, Ms Price said that she experienced back pain and discomfort, but all that mattered in those moments was making sure that her big brother was alright.
"The first thing I wanted was to see my brother because I wanted that reassurance for myself, that he was okay as well," she said.
And, 30 years later, Ms Price only looks back on those memories with a sense of fondness and gratitude.
"To me it was an amazing experience to go through and I would do it again in a heartbeat," she said.
"He's my brother and you do anything for your siblings, to have them around and to have them as a part of your life."
One person who will be eternally grateful to have all of her children alive and healthy, is Shirley Asimus, the mother of Mr Asimus and Ms Price.
Mrs Asimus said she was extremely proud of how far her son has come since recovering from cancer.
"It was a really rough road, but we're so proud of him, he's the back bone of the family," she said.
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