A 30-year-old Australian musician says he is entering the “final chapter” of his life after doctors gave him just months to live as he battles the same cancer that killed beloved actor James Van Der Beek.
Jordan Brunoli, the bassist for Brisbane indie rock band Bugs, was just 29 when he received an incurable stage four colorectal cancer diagnosis in June 2025 after months of abdominal pain.
“There was blood in my stool occasionally…lethargy and general tiredness,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in October 2025. “I was getting a lot of hectic stomach pain.”
Despite doctors being “dismissive” of his agonizing symptoms, telling him, “It’s a virus – Don’t worry, it’ll go away in a couple of weeks,” the Aussie pushed for more tests.
“I thought, ‘screw this, like I genuinely feel f***ed’, and I knew there was something wrong with me,” he told the outlet, adding that doctors said he “was being pushy.”
Devastating diagnosis
By the time doctors discovered he had colorectal cancer, the disease had “aggressively spread to his entire liver and lymph nodes.”
“That’s ridiculous, I’m too young,” he told ABC about learning of his diagnosis.
“I actually wasn’t going to tell anyone except for maybe a couple of close friends,” he admitted, explaining that bandmates Brock Weston and Connor Brooker encouraged him “to make it public.”
The musician then spent the following year undergoing chemotherapy and further treatment, all while holding onto the hope that doctors could slow the disease.
“I’m constantly thinking tomorrow might be the day when my liver just gives up and I get jaundiced and drop dead. It could happen at any time, which is terrifying.”
What is colorectal cancer?
Brunoli is facing the same type of cancer that recently claimed the life of Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek, bringing renewed attention to a disease that remains one of the world’s biggest cancer killers.
Colorectal cancer, also known as bowel cancer, affects the colon or rectum and is the third most common cancer worldwide, accounting for approximately 10% of all cancer cases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.9 million new cases were diagnosed in 2022, while more than 900,000 people died from the disease, making it the second-leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.
Incidence rates were highest in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, according to the WHO.
‘Final chapter of my life’
Now, as the Bugs band prepares to release its new album “Head Noise,” Brunoli has shared the devastating news that treatments have failed.
“I have spent over a year now trying different chemotherapy drugs, backed by an amazing oncologist and treatment team,” he wrote in an Aug. 15 health update shared with fans on Facebook.
“Unfortunately, I have a mutation that causes rapid growth of tumours, and none of the treatments have been able to stop the cancer from spreading,” Brunoli shared.
Then came the news no 30-year-old expects to share: “I am now entering the final chapter of my life after being told in June I had a prognosis of 3-4 months.”
Making music through treatment
Even as Brunoli underwent treatment, there was one part of his life he refused to surrender.
“Head Noise means so much to me,” he wrote of the band’s newest release. “I can’t wait for you to hear the whole album.
“We’ve worked on it for the last two years, through the good and the bad. We kept recording when I was recovering from surgery, sick from chemo, even when I had neuropathy so bad I couldn’t feel the guitar I was playing,” he shared.
The album is due for release on Aug. 28, giving Brunoli the chance to see a project created through some of the most difficult months of his life finally reach listeners.
He credited his bandmates and pals, Connor and Brock, along with the wider Bugs team, with “indulging my wish” to get the record out and play shows while he still can.
‘Bet your a** I’ll be playing them’
Despite receiving a prognosis measured in months, Brunoli’s focus remains firmly on the thing that has shaped so much of his life.
“My focus has always been on enjoying the music and sharing it with others,” he wrote.
“Playing, recording and touring around Australia with Bugs has been the opportunity of a lifetime,” he wrote, insisting that he isn’t ready to surrender the stage just yet.
He continued in the post, “I just want to say, if there were a few final shows coming up, you can bet your a** I’ll be playing them.”
Those shows are now happening, with Bugs announcing two performances at Brisbane’s Crowbar on Sept. 10 and Sept. 12, their first live appearances in almost a year, according to Rolling Stone Australia.
For Brunoli, however, the months ahead aren’t simply about cancer or how much time doctors believe he has left.
He ended his message with a promise about exactly how he intends to spend them.
“Thank you everyone,” Brunoli wrote, before adding: “And watch me enjoy the f* out of the rest of my life.”
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