The sons of Australian music star John Farnham have stated that due to the strong public attention, the family had to use “secret passwords” while their father had a lengthy cancer operation to save his life.
In a 12-hour operation, 26 healthcare personnel operated on Farnham to remove a malignant mass from his mouth and a portion of his jaw, which the singer had originally mistaken for a mouth ulcer.
James and Robert Farnham said that throughout the operation on August 23, the family utilized covert codenames and that only their father’s close circle was informed about their father’s health.
Additionally, they disclosed that their father’s symptoms started when he had problems sleeping because of a tumor in his face that made it hard for him to lie on his side.
The 41-year-old Robert stated, “A lot of people are fans and adore him. You kind of live through it publicly, which can be very terrible.”
It was a little bit of a cloak-and-dagger situation since everyone was trying to figure out where he was, but everyone is just so nice and caring.
As a result, nothing ever leaked, which is a testament to everyone who was involved. “So we had secret passwords and whatnot.”
The boys were questioned by Costello about what they meant by “secret passwords.”
Robert jokingly said, “Can’t give you the passwords, buddy.” It was code terms and things, she said.
The Farnham brothers stated their father’s health issues started when he had difficulties sleeping before receiving his shocking news.
He loves to sleep on his side, and his mother detected a bulge in his cheek and forced him to see the dentist, according to James.
“The dentist saw it and suggested that he speak with someone who understood more about it.”
According to Robert, his father first believed the lump to be a mouth ulcer that was hurting him when it scraped between his teeth.
Because he continued chewing this ulcer, which eventually turned out to be cancer, Robert reported that whenever they spoke to him, he would say, “Oh my bloody teeth.”
“It’s bloody scary,” one person said.
The band members thanked Farnham’s supporters for their messages of encouragement and said that the musician was more concerned with his rehabilitation than with the prospect of playing live again.
He has clearly recovered from the procedure, according to Robert.
“That was very busy and hairy, but he’s on the mend now and he’s feeling a little better, he’s a little happier, and he’s cracking jokes again which is amazing.”
James said, “I know that he appreciated it; I remember when we first informed him, he became tearful. It was sort of soothing to know that Australia was behind him.”
The boys thought of their mother Jillian, who has been married to the musician for 49 years, and how resilient she is.
Robert responded, “I believe everything would fall apart very, very quickly without Mum.
Her strength was affirmed by his younger brother James.
John was singing and Jill was dancing in the musical Charlie Girl when the long-term pair first met in Melbourne in 1971.
When they first met, Jilie stepped out of the theater, and I noticed her, Farnham said to 60 Minutes in 1993. She had extremely long black hair down to her little buttocks at that point, and I was in history.
The couple had two children: Robert, who was born in 1979, and James, who was born in 1980.
When Farnham first started having kidney trouble three years ago, his wife Jill persuaded him to see a doctor.
He had to postpone his planned national tour after being admitted to the hospital with a serious kidney illness. After becoming sick, Farnham stopped smoking cigars and consumed less alcohol.
Just before turning 70, Farnham permanently stopped smoking.
‘Dumb habit. I’m better off not smoking, I’m a freaking singer for God’s sake,’ he told the Herald Sun in 2019. “It was a bit easier to stop smoking cigars, but I’m better off not smoking.”