Men urged to get it checked
Men’s health road show
MEN don’t like to talk about their health – but that’s something Toowoomba Hospital Foundation chief executive office Peter Rookas wants to change.
Mr Rookas was at the It’s A Bloke Thing men’s health road show on August 20 and encouraged Toowoomba men to go to their doctors.
“The road show came about after John Wagner got prostate cancer. It sparked him to want to do something to help the Mater Hospital for all they did for him,” Mr Rookas said.
So Mr Wagner got together with his friends and the Toowoomba community and held a lunch to raise money. A few years later that lunch turned into the It’s A Bloke Thing men’s health road show.
The road show visited various places around the Toowoomba region with a free information sessions on the top issues affecting men’s health – cardiovascular disease, cancer (in particular prostate cancer), diabetes, smoking and mental health.
“It’s a different story with guys; we just don’t talk about it,” Mr Rookas said.
“So we’re saying suck it up and go to the doctor and get checked.”
Former rugby league and State of Origin star Kerry Boustead was the guest speaker at this year’s event.
If you want to know more about the road show, go to www.ddswmedicarelocal.com.au/blokes.