Australian musician Tash Sultana is using her profile — and her personal experience — to help support a friend’s teenage son as he battles a rare type of cancer.

At the age of just 16, “loving, fun, loyal friend and brother” Maddox Pitchers is facing a fight for life after being diagnosed in March with embryonal carcinoma — a rare form of testicular cancer which mostly affects men aged between 20-30.

It is the latest impact cancer has had on Sultana after their partner, Jaimie, was diagnosed in 2025.

“It’s pretty shocking when you find out that a 16-year-old has got cancer and then they have to completely change their life around it,” Sultana told 7NEWS.com.au.

“You’ve got to think about, like, his mates finding out and school friends finding out.

“It’s not something … you want to experience when you’re that young, let alone ever.”

When Maddox first noticed the lump, he — like many boys his age — was too nervous to get it checked by a doctor and only got tested after he began to feel more tired and generally unwell.

By that stage the cancer had spread to his lungs and stomach, turning his family’s life upside-down.

Sultana said her friend, Maddox’s mother Lara, has to stay strong for him and his three younger siblings.

“Lara is holding down the fort with multiple kids and this means that she inevitably has to put her life on hold and pivot,” Sultana said. “Her priority is to Maddox right now and the family, the whole family needs support.”

Fellow family friend Natasha Jones has launched a GoFundMe to help the family pay for everyday expenses, travel expenses and Maddox’s extra needs while fighting cancer.

Sultana has shared the fundraiser to her social media following, which Jones said was “amazing”.

“It means everything, especially for awareness,” she said.

“When you have a following like that it can be used to turn such a negative into a positive.”

Jones said Maddox is dealing with the diagnosis “quite like anyone else, definitely rattled and probably just trying to come to terms with it”.

“Lara’s been super strong … I think she’s just gone into like flight or fight, we got to do what we got to do.”

Maddox is facing nine weeks of chemotherapy which could put a pause on his apprenticeship, as well as his love of surfing, depending on how his body reacts.

While the delay in testing meant the original tumor had metastasised, it was nevertheless caught before it spread to more vital areas of the body — meaning Maddox has a good chance of overcoming the disease.

And both Jones and Sultana hope Maddox’s story helps other teenage boys overcome any nerves or embarrassment and get tested for anything they believe could be wrong.

“This disease can hit any age and I think this might be a really amazing awareness opportunity for other young boys who might be a little bit embarrassed if they feel a lump,” Jones said.

“Because, as teenagers, everything’s all really embarrassing.”