Birthdays highlight how precious life is
In my family, February is the month for birthdays, with my wife’s, my eldest son’s and mine. And now, because I feel that every day is a gift, birthdays are just a teeny bit more special as there is usually someone who will either spoil you or leave you alone, which helps the day go a bit smoother and hassle-free.
Of course, for me, this is the fifth birthday I’ve had when I should not have even been here had the doctors been right with their prostate cancer prognosis. Which is why I really know what a gift birthdays are and to be around to celebrate them.
By pure coincidence, last week was also the week Prostate Cancer UK and the NHS shared a timely reminder to men to be aware of their own risk and, if unsure, to get themselves checked out.
Why the push? Well, during Covid they estimated that more than 14,000 men, who would have needed prostate cancer treatment, have gone undiagnosed because of reluctance or difficulty in seeing a doctor.
I know only too well what happens if prostate cancer spreads – you will likely die of the disease. Yet if it is diagnosed early enough, you are more than likely to be cured. That means your life, and the lives of those around you, will carry on pretty much as before. So for someone in my situation, I struggle to understand why any other man would want to be where I am right now.
There is a simple, free online risk-checker on the Prostate Cancer UK website. It only takes 30 seconds to see if you are high risk, so I implore anyone reading this to encourage any man in their life over 40 to spend a potentially life-saving 30 seconds today visiting prostatecanceruk.org/ risk-checker.
And while I know my thing is prostate cancer, if you have noticed any unexplained changes to your body, see your doctor because with most illnesses, the quicker you deal with it, the easier the treatment and better the outcome. How good would you feel if this simple action ended up saving a life?
Until next week, Kev