The 76-year-old was planning to relocate from the Gold Coast to Bali when he received the shock diagnosis.
A dose of sunshine helps Harold in his recovery from prostate cancer
Bali resident, Harold Schleyer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in mid-2022.
“I went to the GP for a routine check-up and realised I hadn’t had any blood tests done for a while because of COVID-19. My GP ordered all the necessary checks and my (Prostate-Specific Antigen) PSA was high,” says Harold.
“It all happened very quickly from there. It was certainly a shock to hear that I had cancer. But my wife, Cheryl was a great support. I soon realised that prostate cancer is very treatable these days and many men make a full recovery.”
A retired pilot, Harold is no stranger to travelling.
Following his cancer diagnosis, Harold was referred to Icon Cancer Centre Gold Coast Private radiation oncologist, A/Prof Jim Jackson.
Harold worked with A/Prof Jackson to come up with a treatment plan that enabled him and Cheryl to forge ahead with their plans to relocate to Bali.
Harold was able to travel from Bali to the Gold Coast earlier this year to undergo stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR), which reduced the number of treatment sessions required.
The technology allows a high dose of radiation to be delivered to the tumour very precisely, without compromising surrounding healthy organs due to the ability to treat with sub millimetre accuracy.
Due to the larger daily doses of radiation delivered to patients with stereotactic radiation therapy, treatments can be completed within a single or multiple treatments spanning over two to ten days.
Each treatment usually takes no longer than 20 minutes.
Harold completed his treatment in March this year and has now returned home to Bali.
“I had a very good experience at Icon. They were very caring and there if I needed any help,” says Harold.
“Cheryl stayed in Bali while I had treatment, so it was hard to be away from her.
“But thankfully I had no side effects from the treatment.
“The timeframe for my treatment had to be extended as my colon had moved after I’d had scans done for the (radiation therapists) to plan out my treatment.
“A/Prof Jackson was very helpful in explaining what had happened and why the treatment had to be postponed, as they didn’t want to damage other parts of my colon.
“I feel pretty lucky though, as it wasn’t a big hurdle in the scheme of things.
“I’m grateful that I lead a relaxing lifestyle in Bali and it has certainly helped in my recovery,” Harold added.
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