Facing death, Darcy is praying for one final trip with his family

Two days later, the pair rushed straight back to Melbourne, where at 19-years-old, Mr King was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer called Ewing Sarcoma.

What followed was a gruelling period of chemotherapy and surgeries, one of which went for 16 hours and required Mr King to have 69 pins inserted in his legs, but eventually the young man was declared cancer free.

However 18 months later in August 2023, Mr King's cancer returned and spread from his leg to his blood and lungs.

When doctors told Mr King his cancer was incurable, he made the heartbreaking decision to cease treatment, and has since been given between six and 12 months left to live.

"The hardest bit is going down the street and seeing people with their families and their kids, and I've got to come home and [think] I'm never going to have that," he said.

"That's the hardest thing, and that's what kills me, and I hate going outside because of it, it's shit, even thinking about having a nice car, everything."

Facing death, Mr King wants to fulfill one final wish, a trip to the Northern Territory with his mother and three younger brothers.

Since starting palliative care, the 22-year-old has found peace by connecting with Aboriginal culture and dream time stories.

Despite not being Indigenous, he has found support from people at Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative, and said it had been the only thing which helped him come to terms with his illness.

"I want to go to Darwin as my last wish," he said.

"It's something I've come over when I found out I was dying and I just wanted to know what happens after."

Unfortunately for Mr King, a three week trip across Darwin and Arnhem land will cost thousands of dollars and is prohibitively expensive for the family-of-five.

Because of this, they are appealing to the community to help them raise funds to fulfill Mr King's final wish.

Mr King's mother - Kellie King - said it was gut-wrenching to ask for help with funding the trip, but the family had no other choice.

While speaking to The Courier, she choked back tears while describing the helplessness of having a terminally ill child.

"This is all I've got left to give to Darcy," she said.

"He wants to get up there and feel the earth, and smell the earth, as a mum I want him to have all of that experience because he's not going to have the rest of his life to be able to do that.

"How do you fulfill everything in someone's life in that time? How do you give someone everything that we take for granted on a daily basis?"

To raise funds, the family has set up a page on crowdfunding website GoFundMe, and are also being supported by the Ballarat Keralites Foundation of Australis [BKAF] which will host a fundraising event for Mr King.

On Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 6pm to 10pm, BKAF will host its annual Easter Vishu with the theme "supporting Darcy King's final wish".

The Easter Vishu will be a night of music and food hosted at St Patrick's Church Hall, where all proceeds from food sales will go towards making Mr King's final wish a reality.

BKFA community service coordinator Navin Thomas said after they heard Mr King's story, the group wanted to help him achieve his final dream.

"When we came to know about Darcy, our community just thought we need to support [him], it's all [about] supporting each other," he said.

Mr Thomas said food bookings were essential ahead of the event, as they would likely sell out.

He also said all executive members of the BKFA were putting in a "tremendous" effort to ensure a vibrant and successful event.

"Their dedication is sure to make it memorable for all attendees," he said.

To book a place at the BKFA Easter Vishu follow the link, or click here to donate to Darcy's GoFundMe.