Rob Lymer, a 68-year-old grandfather from Geelong suffering from terminal cancer and chronic kidney disease, uses his witty cartoons to bring joy to patients and staff at Barwon Health’s home dialysis unit near Geelong Hospital. He has created an annual calendar with his humorous drawings, which are on sale to raise funds for the center. Lymer's creations range from whimsical images of racing poop to poignant ones illustrating the emotional weight of illness and respite care, reflecting both his struggles and gratitude towards medical staff who support him during challenging times.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Rob Lymer, a 68-year-old grandfather from Belmont, Geelong, is using his talent for drawing to uplift fellow patients and staff at Barwon Health’s home dialysis unit near Geelong Hospital. Diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2014 and now undergoing chronic kidney disease treatment, Lymer has been creating witty cartoons that decorate the walls of the dialysis unit. His drawings include whimsical scenes like a "shit house sprint," featuring different types of feces racing across the page, as well as more poignant illustrations such as nurses ready to catch a falling patient depicted as Humpty Dumpty. Since starting dialysis two years ago, Lymer has also produced his second annual calendar to raise funds for the center. His humorous and touching artwork aims to bring light into the often challenging environment of kidney disease treatment.
Written for “Kidney Disease Hope Through Art” on 2026-10-11,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
To suffer from both terminal cancer and chronic kidney disease is no joke, but Rob Lymer is spreading light in the dark with his witty cartoons.
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Lymer → suffer → cartoons
In his two years as a patient of Barwon Health’s home dialysis unit in Geelong, the 68-year-old’s sharp and quirky characters have brought much-needed smiles to staff and patients.
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characters → bring → staff
His works line the walls of the unit, near Geelong Hospital, and he has completed his second annual calendar, which is on sale to raise money for the centre.
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which → line → centre
Among Lymer’s more whimsical ’toons are a “shit house sprint”, which depicts different consistencies of poo with little legs racing across the page.
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Other cartoons are more poignant, such as a circle of nurses ready to catch a Humpty Dumpty falling off a wall.
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cartoons → catch → wall
Lymer, a retired cleaner and labourer, has had a tough time health-wise.
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Lymer → have → time
In 2014, the grandfather from Belmont was diagnosed with bladder cancer.
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grandfather → diagnose → cancer
He also has type 1 diabetes.
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Two years ago, he started dialysis, which involves repeated cleaning of the blood by a machine when the kidneys fail.
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kidneys → start → machine
Initially, he learnt self-dialysis at the unit for four days a week.
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he → learn → days
Then for a year, he conducted his dialysis at home for eight hours overnight, five times a week.
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Lymer would still email the nurses a cartoon once a week, in what he called “Friday Funnies”.
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he → email → what
He is now back doing his dialysis at the clinic.
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Dialysis clinical nurse specialist Lucy Stevens says it’s amazing how Lymer’s cartoons connect with people and bring humour to difficult situations.
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cartoons → say → situations
She says he is a positive person, but the cartoons can reveal underlying issues.
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One image depicts a figure with the world on his shoulders next to a smiling man dressed as a king.
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Above the first man are the words “walking into respite”.
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words → walk → respite
Lymer says the drawing expressed how he struggled to conduct home dialysis while receiving chemotherapy for cancer, and how grateful he was to be offered a week of dialysis in the unit.
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he → say → unit
One of Stevens’ favourite cartoons is a Little Miss Dialysis drawing (inspired by the Mr Men series) that depicts staff members as having qualities like Little Miss Motivator, or a counsellor, or someone bearing cheese and biscuits.
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that → inspire → cheese
Stevens says it made her emotional to realise what the staff can mean to a patient beyond the medical sense and that it is “just so generous” for Lymer to think of others by creating a 2027 calendar of his cartoons.
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Lymer → say → cartoons
Three months ago, Lymer was told he has lung cancer, which has spread to other organs and is terminal.
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which → tell → organs
Fellow dialysis patient Max Bradfield, 75, of Ocean Grove, says Lymer’s comics “give me a feeling of inclusion, that someone else understands the ups and downs, I guess, of working your way through it all.”
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Of the “very impressive” works, Bradfield’s message to Lymer is simple: “Well done, you’re helping me, very much, and keep up the good work.”
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you → do → work
The Aporia
