At just 23, Bart Walsh battled a cancer that ravaged his face and left him with altered speech and balance.
He had a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour, an aggressive sarcoma wrapped around a nerve in his jaw.
“The surgery left me without teeth on one side, missing a piece of my jaw and a big patch of skin on the side of my face,” Mr Walsh said.
“They replaced my jaw with another bone, but I’m missing all my teeth on that side.”
What followed was a journey marked by heartbreak, personal transformation and a commitment to help others move – quite literally – toward a better life.
“Cancer mangled my body but enhanced my resilience and gave me something else: perspective,” he said.
“It kick-started my health journey. When I stepped into the gym for the first time, I fell in love with the connection side of it and the ever-adapting nature of the human body and its ability to adapt and change.
“I became a personal trainer, worked my way through management and realised I could help more people from a national level.”
Through his work, Mr Walsh is helping people overcome a broader issue: Australians aren’t moving enough – and it’s literally the silent killer.
He is supporting Million Moves, a new national initiative by AUSactive that runs until September 21. It’s free to sign up and pledge 75 daily moves for 21 days, which symbolises the 75 per cent of inactive Aussies and the three weeks it takes to form a new habit.
Now 34, Mr Walsh and his wife Jane moved from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast and became head coach for Jetts Fitness. He credits the fitness group for supporting him through other heartbreak.
“We lost our firstborn son, Aurelien, five years ago – just 31 minutes after he was born,” the Bli Bli resident said.
“We knew before his birth that he was sick and that we were in for a fight. But we wanted it to be his choice, his fight, and for however long he had, to be surrounded by nothing but love.
Warning: some readers may find the image at the end of this story distressing
“Five years on, I still feel him with me every single day. We channel our grief into connection and I like to think of it as we’ve turned the loss into an even greater love.
“With the help of my Jetts family, we created Aurelien’s Workout – a tribute to him and to all the little ones who never got their time.
“Hundreds of Jetts members, friends and strangers came together for that workout and we run it annually on October 1.
“When we shared our workout and story, it was so ubiquitous because people opened up with their own – stories of loss, resilience and love. Aurelien’s workout is a tribute to all the others who didn’t get their time.”
If cancer and loss weren’t enough, at 31 Mr Walsh was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease – a degenerative condition that’s slowly robbing him of movement. He said he was motivated to see a doctor to make sure the condition that took Aurelien wasn’t the affliction he’d developed.
“There’s a cruel cosmic irony in it that the very thing that saved my life after cancer, movement, is being taken from me,” he said.
“It’s slowly taking my peripheral nervous system, to my feet, my lower legs and probably one day my hands.
“I haven’t quite figured out what that message is yet, but I’m using all of these setbacks as a catalyst for strength to inspire other people through fitness and physical activity. It’s quite a journey and I’m here to turn every setback into fuel for connection and strength.”
Million Moves participants in Queensland get free access, passes, classes and activations to hundreds of gyms including SNAP Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Jetts, F45, Genesis Fitness, Goodlife Health and Fernwood Fitness.
Participants also get free access to apps including 3D Measure Me (until December 1), Zumba, SWEAT, Les Mills+, The Body Coach and wellbeing resources from the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Thompson Institute. They’ll also have access to a $125k prize pool.
AUSactive CEO Barrie Elvish said the initiative removed barriers to physical activity such as cost and access.
“Million Moves isn’t about Lycra or six-packs. It’s about making activity accessible, simple and achievable, and aimed at the over 75 per cent of inactive Australians,” he said.
“If we can help people form healthy habits in just 21 days, the ripple effect for individuals, families, communities and the healthcare system will be enormous.”
Mr Walsh is now a father to Lysander, 3, and six-month-old baby Esme.
“It’s strange, I can feel Aurelien’s wisdom, particularly with Esme at the moment when she’s just laughing maniacally by herself,” he said.
“It’s like you can feel that little angel on her shoulder.”
He asserts that his life now is about more than his own fitness – it’s about helping others find theirs, no matter where they’re starting from or what they’re up against.
“At Jetts, my mission is to train both members and trainers – giving them the tools, programs and mindset to ensure they’re truly impacting lives,” he said.
“I also travel as a keynote and motivational speaker, sharing my story at conferences across the world, and am heading to the US next year.
“I’ve also learned this: movement isn’t just about muscles and strength. It’s about love and legacy, and every time I coach, speak or train, I’m honouring not just my own fight but Aurelien’s too.”
