While Casey was in the jungle, the Donovan family were dealing with her stepdad Norm Axford finding out that he has pancreatic cancer.
The Daily Telegraph report that the 28-year-old has been spending as much time as possible with Norm, who underwent surgery just days after Casey returned home.
“It has definitely been a moment for family,” the singer told Confidential.
“On top of all the highs, I haven’t actually had time to comprehend that high because we are going day by day making sure Dad is OK.”
The paper revealed that Casey learnt of the news just a hours after she took out the reality series.
“Pancreatic cancer is the second leading killer in the cancer family so Norm wants to make sure people get themselves checked out,” she said on the 65-year-old’s behalf.
“And he couldn’t be more thankful for the staff at Bankstown Hospital for the level of professionalism but also the comfort and support they’ve given him and us as a family.”
Sharing with his Facebook friends about his daughter’s time in South Africa, Norm penned this note, “I have already expressed my pride in Casey and for this experience to help her grow and build more self confidence.”
“But none of that was possible without the support of family friends and fans. I thank you (I’m sure Casey will also).”
“I hope this is the beginning of a stellar career for Casey. She has earned her stripes..done the hard yards and endeared herself once again. Tracy and I hope we meet you all at a future concert.”
It was with Norm’s encouragement that inspired Casey to enter Idol.
After the songstress was crowned Queen of the Jungle, he took to Facebook to share his hopes for the singer.
“I expect Casey will have no idea how busy she will be when she gets home. It looks like a massive boost to her career and a whole new positive attitude. I am very excited!”
Norm has always been one of Casey’s biggest cheerleaders.
Following her Australian Idol win, Casey credited her stepdad for pushing her, remarking, “My stepdad Norm talked me into Australian Idol. And I didn’t really want to do it because it was on TV and I was a bit scared of what people would say and how people would react.”
But Norm knew her talent needed to be shared, “She didn’t believe that she had it. One of the reasons for getting her involved in that in the first place was that we could definitely see that she needed that sort of confidence, she needed more than her parents to tell her that she had talent.”
Our thoughts go out to the entire family during this time.
Head to Pancare to find out how you can help out those suffering from Pancreatic cancer.
