Rob Gibbs has spent close to $20,000 on his cancer treatment in the past year and he doesn't trust politicians.
So he was sceptical when he met Labor leader Bill Shorten that his promise to make cancer scans and specialist visits cheaper would actually be delivered.
"You're always hearing them promise things. As soon as they get elected they forget about it," Mr Gibbs told reporters at Casey Hospital in Victoria on Monday.
"My six-year-old girl, it's heartbreaking when she comes to visit me and she walks out the hallway and she starts crying, 'is dad going to come home ever?''"
Mr Gibbs, who has lost two toes and could lose his leg, was having a coffee at Casey Hospital when he spotted Mr Shorten speaking to the media.
"To me, what you're talking about is the exact reason why I'm running for prime minister," Mr Shorten told Mr Gibbs.
"We are going to fund six million extra scans ... we're going to fund three million extra visits to the specialists."
Mr Gibbs was a Country Fire Authority volunteer for 12 years and doctors believe his cancer is linked to firefighting work.
He mistrusts politicians because Victorian Labor promised to cover volunteer firefighters who get certain types of cancer, but never passed the laws despite widespread support from all parties.
Mr Shorten promised to take it up with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, and pledged to follow up Mr Gibbs' case.
The Labor leader announced $250 million to cut urgent elective surgery waiting lists around Australia, as part of Labor's health funding push.
"Procedures such as knee and hip replacements or cataract surgeries aren't elective - they are essential," Mr Shorten said.
Labor is promising to put an extra $2.3 billion into Medicare and cancer research to make cancer treatment cheaper.
Mr Shorten made a short visit to the Labor-held seat of Gellibrand in Melbourne's west before campaigning in Liberal MP Jason Wood's seat of La Trobe.
Labor has been targeting Liberal seats in the first five days of the campaign, including Reid and Robertson in NSW, and Deakin in Victoria.
A truck carrying an anti-Labor slogan drove past the hospital several times before Mr Shorten addressed the media.
When the driver was asked who he was voting for he refused to comment and couldn't say where he was voting or if he was registered to vote in Australia.
He said he was being paid by a company to drive the truck and drove off before Mr Shorten spoke.
