“My diagnosis has prompted me to push myself to get fitter, to reconnect with old friends, to be a better person, and to strengthen my appreciation of the things I used to take for granted.
“Don’t get me wrong, I wish I didn’t have it, but I know that I’m giving it everything I’ve got, and I’ve been fortunate to have fantastic support around me, including my amazing wife and three daughters.
“And I’m not upset with my GP or urologist for not chasing me. It comes down sometimes to personal responsibility. I didn’t get regular checks. Checks which are quick and easy. My fault, my responsibility.
“The oncologist said I should make five years, but I support PCFA knowing that research can get me much further. That’s my ultimate goal.”
“My GP referred me to a specialist and asked me to expect a call to make an appointment. Cancer wasn’t mentioned and so he thought not much of it, and just waited.
“A week went by, a month went by, I bought some of those prostate pills at the chemist and tried to put up with the symptoms … several months had gone by when I called up to chase the specialist for my appointment.
“He apologised and a couple of weeks later I was in for a biopsy. A week after that, he called me in a hurry and told me he had bad news.
“It was prostate cancer, aggressive, late stage, and too far gone to for surgery. He immediately arranged an urgent meeting with an oncologist. When the oncologist told me that it was ‘terminal’ it nearly broke me.
“By that point it had already spread to my spine, my neck, and my liver. I started chemo soon after, and here I am three years down the track still fighting it.
“I’m sure others here will say the same, but it has really forced me to reflect on my life. It made me realise I had been meandering.
“Blokes tend to hermit themselves in caves and we don’t always communicate well with other blokes.
“My diagnosis has prompted me to push myself to get fitter, to reconnect with old friends, to be a better person, and to strengthen my appreciation of the things I used to take for granted.
“Don’t get me wrong, I wish I didn’t have it, but I know that I’m giving it everything I’ve got, and I’ve been fortunate to have fantastic support around me, including my amazing wife and three daughters.
“And I’m not upset with my GP or urologist for not chasing me. It comes down sometimes to personal responsibility. I didn’t get regular checks. Checks which are quick and easy. My fault, my responsibility.
“The oncologist said I should make five years, but I support PCFA knowing that research can get me much further. That’s my ultimate goal.”
