BRIAN’S STORY - HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Yes, I was one of those typical Aussie blokes, strong and healthy, too busy running my own business to worry about my health. I had to be awfully sick to ever go to a doctor let alone go for a regular check up.

Thankfully, for me though I had a loving wife who cared enough for me to do something.

The year I turned fifty, our family GP suggested to Jill that I should be having an annual check up. If it had been left to me I probably would have put it off thinking “nothing’s wrong with me – why bother.” But Jill made the appointment for me that year and the subsequent years so I just had to man up and go along.

The annual check up included a PSA blood test. For six years my score was consistent but on the seventh year it had virtually doubled. My GP was concerned so prescribed a course of antibiotics in case it was just an infection. Twelve weeks later I had another blood test to discover the PSA had risen as much in the twelve weeks as it had done in the previous twelve months.

I was quickly referred to an Urologist and after an extensive series of tests including a biopsy; I was diagnosed with early stage Prostate Cancer.

I was surprised that hearing the big “C” word did not shock me as much as I thought it would, possibly because I had shared Jill’s battle with breast cancer some five years earlier. I really didn’t want to talk about it with anyone, not that I was in denial, but I knew it was going to be my experience and every man’s experience would be different. I simply wanted it “fixed” so I could get on with my life.

I chose to have the robotic surgery to have the prostate removed. The operation was a great success as I recovered very quickly with no incontinence or impotence and was back to work after only two weeks.I consider myself as one very lucky bloke – lucky because I had someone to encourage me to get tested and lucky that my cancer was detected in the early curable stage.

This inspired Jill and I to form ManUp! so that we could make a difference by:

1. Educating men and their families about the need for annual testing so that if detected with prostate cancer they have the very best opportunity of a successful outcome like I had.

2. Raising the profile of prostate cancer in the community to receive the level of awareness, education , support and funding as other cancer organisations do.

3. Providing specialist prostate cancer care nurses throughout Queensland to support men affected by prostate cancer.