Finding a pal through prostate cancer

A cancer diagnosis is often described as a rollercoaster of emotions, so having people look out for you can make all the difference. For Mackay residents, Allan Paranthoiene and Paul Doolan, finding friendship during their prostate cancer treatment was a blessing.

Allan and Paul were perfect strangers, both diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017. Paul was diagnosed in June 2017 just one day after he and his wife sold their local business. Allan is a retired floor tiler who was enjoying the caravan retired lifestyle with his wife when he received the news he had cancer. For both Allan and Paul, the diagnosis came as a shock, both showing little to no symptoms. After their respective surgeries, they were recommended radiation therapy treatment.

The pair become the first few patients to receive radiation therapy at Icon Cancer Centre, the first centre to offer radiation therapy treatment in Mackay. On their first day of treatment their appointments were back to back, and a few greetings later a long-term friendship began.

For the next seven weeks, the two saw each other every day, where they got to know each other more and more and shared jokes that kept everyone at the centre in high spirits.

“You have to have a full bladder for the radiation treatment, so you are always dying to go to the toilet after. Paul’s appointment was always after mine, so every day, I would walk out of the bathroom and say to Paul ‘I left the seat-up for you!’ We always got a laugh out of it. Its little things like that that make the process easier,” said Allan.

From the beginning through to the very last appointment, Allan and Paul got to celebrate their last day of treatment together. The staff surprised them with party poppers, speeches were made and tears were shed.

“We had a disco party in the treatment room and Paul and I both rang the bell together. Sharing this with him was nice, as the weeks went by, it made it feel like I wasn’t alone,” said Allan.