On The Up: Hawke’s Bay boxing coach Craig McDougall - cancer battle is all about attitude

Today we launch NZME’s On The Up editorial campaign, showcasing uplifting stories of success, inspiration and possibilities. Over the coming weeks, Hawke’s Bay Today will shine a light on the people, businesses and organisations achieving great things in our region. And who better to start with than ‘Mr Positive’ himself?

If there’s one thing Craig McDougall refuses to buy into, it’s the suggestion his story should be, in any way, sad.

Here’s a champion Hawke’s Bay boxing coach, and a champion bloke, facing the hardest challenge of his life - the return of his oesophageal cancer.

This particular story could easily be framed as one of struggle.

But McDougall, a former fireman who won Hawke’s Bay Today’s person of the year in 2013, is known as “Mr Positive” for a reason.

The founder of the Hawke’s Bay Youth Trust and Giants Boxing Academy has transformed the lives of thousands of young people in Hawke’s Bay through sports programmes.

He’s taking the opportunity today to share how to stay upbeat, and how to keep your mindset strong, even in the most challenging of circumstances.

“At the boxing academy, one of our founding quotes is, ‘No matter your talent nor your adversity, it’s your attitude that determines your altitude’,” McDougall says.

“It’s the very same message I had to use for me to be successful.”

McDougall found out he had oesophageal cancer in 2023, a diagnosis that rocked his family’s world.

“We were scared by the word cancer... but then we started to think, ‘What are we going to do to make the best of this and resolve this?‘”

He decided to tackle the illness using the same principles he teaches his students.

Craig McDougall stands proudly in front of the countless young lives he has impacted through sport and mentorship.

He built a team of specialists to support him to fight it. His first successful treatment included four rounds of chemotherapy and a three-week additional treatment in Mexico.

But in May 2024, the cancer returned.

This time, there was no emotional crisis. His mindset became that he wanted a life of richness.

“Adding years to your life ... No one can promise that. What you can promise is adding life to your years.”

Alongside New Zealand-based medical professionals, he reconnected with oncologists in Mexico and Thailand and invested in research and resources, including not only medication but also vitamins and supplements.

His biggest leap of faith has been installing a massive hyperbaric chamber in his Clive home, which he describes as “a half-house value investment”.

For McDougall it has become another tool in his treatment plan, helping to increase oxygen levels in his body and make him feel better than he did before he had cancer.

Health New Zealand’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, said while hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has recognised benefits for certain conditions, its effectiveness in cancer treatment remains unproven.

“Cancer cells often exist in hypoxic [low oxygen] environments, which has led to theoretical interest in whether improving tissue oxygenation through HBOT could inhibit tumour growth or enhance the effectiveness of other treatments...However, clinical trials in humans are limited.

“Overall, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not currently recommended for the treatment of cancer in adults. As with any complementary or alternative therapy, patients should discuss the use of HBOT with their oncology team.”

McDougall says he will stick with the plan.

“It’s all about giving your body the best chance to function at its highest level.”

The two-seater chamber allows McDougall to spend time with his wife, Vicki, while undergoing treatment.

“We like to sit on the aeroplane in this wonderful kind of spaceship, it’s pretty cool. And it meant that my wife and I could watch a movie in there, so I’m not spending time away from her.”

McDougall intends to turn it into a business eventually, making hyperbaric therapy more accessible to the community.

Craig McDougall inside the hyperbaric chamber he's installed in his house.

Most mornings, McDougall is up at about 6am to take his medication, and then heads to the Ahuriri beach for a 2-to-3km swim with friends.

“Then I come back, have my breakfast, take my supplements. Depending on the day, because I have a staggered day, I might do some treatment,” he said.

He also relies on meditation, exercise, and, of course, boxing coaching, which he believes is part of the big picture.

“At work, we’ve got incredible kids to inspire.”

One of them is 17-year-old Luke Herries, who had struggled through his teenage years before joining the academy a year ago.

“He’s a great and real growth model to me. The way he leads, his kindness, he inspires me,” Luke said.

Once lost and unsure about his future, Luke is now enlisting in the army, a path he never thought possible before McDougall’s influence.

“The academy completely changed my life. It gave me self-discipline, a strong community, good influences and good leaders. It’s more than physical fitness, it’s also about mental strength.”

Luke Herries found discipline and purpose at the Giants Boxing Academy. Photo / Rafaella Melo

Luke’s father, Dan Herries, saw the transformation firsthand.

“He got his glow back,” Herries said.

Initially hesitant about his son joining a combat sport, he quickly realised it was not about fighting.

“It was a connection, brotherhood, personal health, and just awesome mentorship,” he said.

“Now Luke has realised the potential that we saw in him as a young boy. He’s a contributor to society ... and we’re awfully proud of the changes made.”

McDougall coaching Luke at the academy.

Along the way, many lives like Luke’s have been changed by McDougall’s programmes.

Caleb Lovejoy, 22, another student, lost 58kg since starting boxing in 2021.

“It fully changed my mental game and the way I held myself as a person,” he said.

Now, studying to be a boxing coach and a schoolteacher, he credits McDougall for pushing him to strive for more.

Caleb Lovejoy at the Giants Boxing Academy.

Helping others has always been McDougall’s mission.

“We’re a little bit about boxing and a whole lot about life,” he said.

With a family of three boys, aged 21, 19, and 17, a supportive wife, and a community behind him, McDougall is as thirsty for life as ever.

“I’m not scared of death,” he says.

“We’re a little bit about boxing and a whole lot about life,” McDougall says.

“Don’t wait for my funeral to celebrate... do things with the people you find special now. Enjoy the present.”

What keeps him going is simple.

“You’ve got to have a reason to live. And I have many.”