When Prof Georgina Long and Prof Richard Scolyer accepted their award for Australians of the Year, they had a very personal message. Their pioneering work has dramatically increased survival rates for melanoma, the most common cancer among people between 20 to 39 years old. But they are also fighting a different, equally challenging battle as they apply their expertise to a world-first treatment for Scolyer’s own terminal brain cancer. In his own words: “I’m not ready to die yet.” You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport