A Bondi Rescue star who died after losing his battle with cancer shared a video of himself singing with other patients in hospital weeks before he died.
Lifeguard Terry ‘Tezz’ McDermott was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Anzac Day 2020 before he died surrounded by family and friends on Thursday.
In his final Instagram post, McDermott videoed himself in high spirits while sitting in the cancer ward waiting for his chemotherapy treatment at Prince of Wales Hospital.
He explained he had befriended a fellow patient named David and that the pair had immediately hit it off.
‘Dave and I have found the answer to Cancer and it’s singing and laughing,’ the post read.
McDermott said the pair had been entertaining the rest of the ward by singing music hits before they performed a duet of ‘Horses’ by Daryl Braithwaite.
A Bondi Rescue star who died after losing his battle with cancer shared a video of himself singing with other patients in hospital weeks before he died
Lifeguard Terry ‘Tezz’ McDermott was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Anzac Day 2020 before he died surrounded by family and friends on Thursday
‘That’s the way it’s gonna be, little darling,’ the pair sing in the video. ‘You go riding on the horses, yeah, yeah.’
McDermott had frequently documented on social media his fight against prostate cancer.
In one video posted in December 2020, McDermott said he had undergone nine rounds of chemotherapy – three more than the usual given to patients.
‘They tell me you ring a bell when you complete treatment at Prince of Wales chemotherapy ward,’ he said.
He later filmed himself ringing the bell in the hospital while thanking a group of nurses cheering him on for their ongoing support.
‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart,’ he said.
Bondi Rescue shared a post on its Facebook page late on Friday mourning ‘the loss of one of the nicest watermen to don a jersey’.
‘This selfless man saved countless lives during his career spanning more than 30 years working at many different beaches,’ the tribute read.
‘Terry, Tezzy, T-Mac, Moondoggy McDermott. Thank you for your service to the community.
‘Rest easy great man.’
In one video, McDermott filmed himself sitting in the cancer ward at the Prince of Wales Hospital saying he had to have nine rounds of chemotherapy
He later filmed himself ringing the bell in the hospital while thanking a group of nurses cheering him on for their ongoing support
Mr McDermott spent 20 years working as a lifeguard on the Central Coast and 10 years patrolling the famous Bondi Beach
Tributes for Mr McDermott flowed from fans of the show located around the world
Mr McDermott leaves behind his wife Joanna and son Matt.
Mr McDermott spent 20 years working as a lifeguard on the Central Coast and 10 years patrolling the famous Bondi Beach.
He died surrounded by family and friends after a battle with cancer.
Tributes for Mr McDermott flowed from fans of the show located around the world.
‘This is truly sad. I will be praying for you, your family, and your lifeguard family. You were incredible lifeguard. I loved watching Bondi on YouTube here on the east coast in the USA. This breaks my heart,’ one international fan posted.
‘Such very sad news. I loved watching him from Ireland on Bondi Rescue,’ another person commented.
‘RIP Terry. Thank you for being you. Thank you for your service. What an awesome man you were. May you Rest In Peace.’
‘Terry was a charismatic articulate character who always had a wonderful story to tell,’ Sunshine Coast Lifeguards posted as a tribute
Co-star Trent Maxwell also shared a moving tribute to Mr McDermott, thanking him for ‘teaching me the ropes of lifeguarding’
Co-star Trent Maxwell also shared a moving tribute to Mr McDermott, thanking him for ‘teaching me the ropes of lifeguarding’.
‘I will miss you mate, never a dull moment. You were a great waterman and always had some great wisdom to share to the young blokes. We had some great times together you will be missed,’ Mr Maxwell wrote.
‘Vale mate, absolutely gutted your gone, but finally at Peace. You will be sorely missed by so many,’ friend Mark Radford posted online.
‘Sending all at Bondi Rescue my deepest condolences & to Terry’s family. We have loved watching him on the show, he always seemed such a kind man,’ another person posted.
‘Terry was a charismatic articulate character who always had a wonderful story to tell,’ Sunshine Coast Lifeguards posted as a tribute.
‘He was a friend and colleague to many Lifeguards around the country and in fact well known all over the world.’
Terry was a charismatic articulate character who always had a wonderful story to tell,’ Sunshine Coast Lifeguards posted as a tribute
In a Q&A done for the show McDermott once revealed the most dangerous surf rescue he was involved in
In a Q&A done for the show McDermott once revealed the most dangerous surf rescue he was involved in.
‘A river mouth rescue using a paddleboard on the run out tide with three patients on board an each 100 metres apart when found.’
McDermott had documented on social media his fight against the disease after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Anzac Day in 2020.
The death of the Bondi Rescue star is the latest tragedy to strike the McDermott family after the lifeguard and his partner lost their newborn son.
In 2013, McDermott revealed in an episode of the hit TV show that he had lost his baby boy due to complications during the birth.
‘My boy was trapped in the birth canal and had complications which cut the oxygen off for ten minutes, but the result was a week later that he died,’ he said.
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