The beginning of my prostate cancer journey started with a conversation with my close friend, who is also a former soldier. He came over to my house one afternoon and told me to prepare to do a slow march, which is a march used in funeral services in the military. When I asked why, he broke devastating news – he had been diagnosed with both prostate and bowel cancer, alongside a number of other health conditions.
This got me thinking about my own health and that I should also get a PSA test. “Since we’re soldiers, I will get mine checked tomorrow,” I told him. So, the following day, I visited my GP. It turned out that my PSA score was the exact same as my friend, at an extremely high 309.
I was referred to a urologist who conducted a physical exam and confirmed that I had prostate cancer. They recommended that I get an operation done as soon as possible alongside a biopsy and scans, which discovered that my cancer had metastasised to some of my skeletal frame.
