Shepparton News - Don Magazine
Raising prostate cancer awareness for men in the community
PROSTATE CANCER IS THE MOST DIAGNOSED CANCER IN AUSTRALIA, CLAIMING THE LIVES OF 10 MEN EVERY SINGLE DAY. MORE THAN 25,000 AUSTRALIAN MEN ARE DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER EACH YEAR.
If you had asked Laurie Bodycoat prior to 2019 how important prostate cancer awareness was to him, he probably would have said that it was one of the last things on his mind.
“I’ll be honest, I used to attend the Biggest Ever Blokes’ Lunch because it was a good day for a couple of drinks with mates… I didn’t think a lot of it but then after a while, I thought about it more seriously.
“I had tests, and it showed my levels had gone up, I had an MRI and a little spot showed up.
“I then had a biopsy and sure enough, I had prostate cancer,” he said.
Laurie said he routinely had his prostate and bowel cancer tests done through his general practitioner but didn’t expect the diagnosis in 2020.
“I used to be naïve when I attended the Biggest Ever Blokes’ Lunches, whether it was prostate or bowel cancer, the information flew over my head, and I didn’t realise the importance of it.
“Then it happened to me, and reality set in.”
Laurie said he then made it his mission to spread prostate cancer awareness throughout the community.
“I did a talk to a group of about 16 men, and it was quite funny, by the time I got through it, they all had their legs crossed,” he said. “But it’s amazing when you talk to people about it and say, ‘I’ve had my prostate out’, there’s many men in Shepparton that I know that tell me ‘I’ve had mine out too’,” he said.
Laurie said the biggest piece of advice he could give to men would be to continue to have their prostate checked regularly. “Don’t be a hero, just go and have a blood test. It’s as simple as that,” he said. Laurie‘s prostate cancer journey continues with regular appointments with his specialists.
“Laurie continues to be monitored by health professionals through regular check ups,” said GV Health‘s specialist prostate cancer nurse Sonia Strachan.
“He’s been really proactive which has been great because if he hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here together,” she said. Sonia urges men in the community to regularly see a GP and get tested for prostate cancer if they’re over the age of 50, or earlier if they have a family history of prostate cancer.
“I encourage men to have their yearly health check and talk to their mates and encourage each other to get tested. “Given the opportunity, men will open up about their health so support one another and look out for your mates,” she said. To contact Sonia Strachan and Nicole Lewis, specialist prostate cancer nurses, email pcsn@gvhealth.org.au or call
(03) 5832 3777