Symptoms may include difficulty urinating, urinating more often (especially at night), pain when urinating, and/or blood in urine or semen.
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Tony Johnson is a Sky TV sports commentator. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019 and is an ambassador for Blue September, Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ’s annual fundraiser.
OPINION
In 2019, I was sitting in a cafe with a mate who’d just got up to go and get another round of coffees when my phone rang.
It was my urologist Michael Mackey, ringing to tell me I had prostate cancer. It was a shock, to say the least.
Michael told me while there were options, he felt the best approach was to remove the cancer by way of surgery. Six weeks later I had a radical prostatectomy.
The 12-week period from diagnosis to the first post-op blood test was the most challenging time of my life.
On top of the testing, a biopsy and surgery, there was the emotional toll that comes with a cancer diagnosis – sleepless nights waiting for outcomes, and above all else, concern over how it was going to affect my family. The impact of cancer can have a huge toll on those around us too.
The first thing I had to do was cancel an overseas trip we’d spent the last two years saving for, much of which had been pre-paid.
I didn’t tell too many people, but my family, close friends, and the few who did know at Sky were incredibly supportive. I took leave from work after the surgery to recover, try to process everything and stay positive, but in the end going back to work was a bit of a saviour. It was a positive distraction, something to keep my mind engaged while I waited for crucial lab results.
If you’re one of the fortunate ones to catch cancer early enough to be successfully treated, you can’t help feeling lucky.
When the results came back to confirm my cancer had been removed, mindful of how devastating it could have been, I mentioned to my doctor how lucky I felt.
I won’t forget his response. “Tony, you make your own luck with prostate cancer,” he said, and he was right.
Tony Johnson says returning to work after his cancer diagnosis was a bit of a saviour. Photo / Photosport
I’ve now been cancer-free for over five years, but were it not for a routine blood test as part of my annual check-up, the story would undoubtedly have been a lot different.
There are 42,000 men living with prostate cancer in Aotearoa, making it our most diagnosed cancer.
A staggering one in eight Kiwi men will be diagnosed in their lifetime. It’s one of the more treatable forms of cancer if caught early, but if you leave it until symptoms start to present, it can often be too late.
That’s why I’m urging all men aged over 50, or anyone over 40 with a family history of prostate cancer, to go and get a blood test to check the level of their PSA.
Elevated PSA can often be due to inflammation or infection, but is also a very good early indicator of prostate cancer. No rubber glove necessary – all that’s needed these days is a simple blood test.
Many Kiwi men delight in the fact that they haven’t been to the doctor for 20 years, like it’s some sort of badge of honour, and that’s a way of thinking that needs to change.
I’m sure some avoid the doc because deep down they’re afraid of what they might find, but the potential issues that can arise from not having a check-up are a lot scarier.
It can really help if we talk more about our health, be open with our loved ones and more proactive with our health checks.
We take our cars in to get an annual WoF, so why not ourselves? It’s something I’d done for years, and I’m incredibly thankful for that.
The fact I’m here today is living proof it might just save your life.
