Western Sydney Health Check

Feb 09 2025 36 ep. 19 mins 935

Western Sydney Health Check Podcast artwork

Hear from leading healthcare experts in Western Sydney and the patients they're treating. Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) provides healthcare to the people of western Sydney at Westmead, Blacktown, Mount Druitt, Auburn and Cumberland hospitals.Proudly produced by WSLHD.

Health & Fitness

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Boxing champ Billy Dib on beating cancer & fighting for his life at Westmead Hospital

Feb 09 2025 12 mins

Billy ‘The Kid’ Dib is known by most as an icon of Australian boxing as WBO Lightweight Oriental champion & IBF Lightweight international champion with two world boxing championships under his belt…but Billy has been facing a completely new opponent following a cancer diagnosis in 2022. He underwent surgery to remove a tumour in his stomach in October and has subsequently

Voices of courage: The resilient women changing the landscape of multicultural health in western Sydney

Mar 06 2024 13 mins

In this powerful episode, we are joined by Dipti Zachariah from Western Sydney Local Health District’s Multicultural Health Services and Nat, a member of her team. Dipti and Nat provide extensive support to help culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women and survivors of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) find their voice. With International Women’s Day and Harmony Day fas

Unleashing the power of the mind to overcome lockdown stress

Aug 01 2021 19 mins

With the COVID-19 lockdown extended through August, many causes of stress and anxiety in our lives right now are beyond our control. But there is a tool within your control that anyone can harness: mindfulness meditation. David Johnson introduced the practice to Western Sydney Local Health District staff last year to help manage the additional stress of COVID-19, and he continues h

Surviving lockdown: Survivor uses his mental health experience to help others

Jul 18 2021 31 mins

Mitch first experienced anxiety and depression as a high school student, and in the years that followed he struggled with suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder. He is now a lived experience peer worker with the Towards Zero Suicides team at Western Sydney Local Health District, meaning he uses his own experience to help others experiencing a suicidal crisis – as he

Auburn Hospital emergency doctor becomes Australian Ninja Warrior

Jun 23 2021 30 mins

We're mad about sport in western Sydney but it still might come as a surprise that there are some extremely talented athletes who work for Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD). Alvina Ng always loved the Ninja Warrior franchise but never imagined she would take on the famed obstacle course known as Mt Midoriyama. The Auburn Hospital emergency doctor is now the face of the f

Emma Watkins- the beloved Yellow Wiggle- and her silent struggle with endometriosis

May 23 2021 20 mins

Emma Watkins is best known as the girl with the bow in hair. The singing, dancing, drumming, Yellow Wiggle delights audiences across the globe with her dazzling warmth and energy. But what people didn’t realise was behind the scenes, Emma was in serious pain for a long time – silently suffering from a debilitating condition known as endometriosis. Endometriosis, commonly referr

Motorcycle crash survivor's road to recovery

Apr 29 2021 26 mins

Julia can remember looking down at her broken arm, the bone through the skin, as the propeller of the helicopter that carried her to Westmead Hospital for lifesaving surgery whirred to life. She was riding her motorcycle on Valentine’s Day when she had a head-on collision with a four-wheel-drive, destroying her bike and nearly claiming her life. Julia was the first patient transf

Sharks player Fine Kula on beating brain cancer

Apr 21 2021 21 mins

From training with the Cronulla Sharks to lying in a hospital bed, Fine Kula’s heroic battle with brain cancer captured hearts across western Sydney, the Shire, and Australia last year. The rising NRL star was diagnosed with medulloblastoma at the start of 2020, and underwent treatment at Westmead Hospital. Fine and his oncologist Dr Vivek Bhadri join us on the latest episode of

How to talk about mental health- Youth Week 2021

Apr 15 2021 24 mins

One in four young people in Australia will suffer from some kind of mental health issue. But how do you bring up the topic with them? It’s a question many parents agonise over, and one that we tackle in our latest podcast episode of Western Sydney Health Check for NSW Youth Week. Carlie Dodds, clinical psychologist with our Prevention Early Intervention and Response Service, brin

Westmead's $1 billion future: Inside the Central Acute Services Building

Mar 25 2021 26 mins

Western Sydney is home to Australia’s tallest health building – the Central Acute Services Building at Westmead Hospital – and we’re celebrating its official opening in this week’s Western Sydney Health Check podcast. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard visited on Monday 22 March to open Westmead Hospital’s new 14-storey medical tower–a $1