Nathan Vincent is on a heck of a journey right now. And not a fun one.
A colleague of mine, Mr Vincent wants to speak up in the hope that other men will have greater control in writing the outcome of their own stories.
The story he’s telling features men’s “bits”, a topic most people would rather not discuss, unless it involves an errant toddler wielding a piñata stick in the direction of a father’s groin, of course.
It’s an area of the body that has tucked away, but not totally hidden, parts that some would think look funny, involve wee and in Mr Vincent’s case, prostate cancer.
“After everything (previous tests) coming back negative it was a big shock,” he said. “Knocked me around for a couple of days.”
That’s where the laughing stops, and many men shut the talking down, but Mr Vincent is of the view that more needs to be said, not less.
“It’s more, just get checked. It’s a simple blood test,” he said.
“I’ve been through cancer before,’’ Mr Vincent said.
“Like, with three other people, and it’s the unknown and, you know, a simple thing like a blood test to catch it early.
“Dad was caught too late. He was basically told, ‘Look, you’re gonna die of this.’
“I’m young.’’
Mr Vincent might not have been diagnosed so early had he not already lost his father, Bob, to prostate cancer two years ago, so he got checked out earlier than most men do.
“It’s a blood test. Simple as that, and if you think something’s not right, keep pushing,” he said.
“My doctor was good.
“He was like, there’s a (family) history, we’re just going to start testing straight away.”
Mr Vincent’s decision to go public rather than withdraw and close his inner circle around him is a brave one.
He has noble intentions, but it doesn’t erase the personal challenges the father-of-three is facing right now and for the foreseeable future.
The blood test was followed by a biopsy using a transperineal biopsy, which is now possible in Shepparton at Goulburn Valley Health instead of having to travel to Melbourne, which was previously the case.
That’s thanks to funding from the Male Bag Foundation, Freemasons Foundation Victoria, Honda Foundation, the GV Health Foundation and the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch Shepparton.
“They go in between your butt and your nuts — I don’t know how you’re going to write that one in the paper,’’ Mr Vincent said.
“So thankfully, in the US you do it while you’re awake, but in Australia they put you to sleep.
“When he said you can go to sleep, I said, ‘I choose that option!’
“Ultimately, by opting for that test, I was finally diagnosed, which all other tests were negative, including the MRI.”
Another service provided by fundraising through the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch is the two specialist cancer nurses at GV Health.
Mr Vincent has been assisted by Sonia Strachan, and the other nurse is Nicole Lewis.
“Having prostate cancer nurses in Shepp? Phenomenal,” he said.
“Sonya doesn’t deal just at the start, she follows right through.”
Ms Lewis said the pair were there to support men going through a life-changing diagnosis and their treatment afterwards.
“I think when they first find out that they do have a diagnosis of prostate cancer they can be a little overwhelmed with feelings that they’ve got this cancer diagnosis and what are they going to do now,” she said.
“Sonia and I, we provide a point-of-contact support for the men and their family.”
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia.
Nationally, 66 men are diagnosed each day and 10 men die from it every 24 hours.
“I think we are seeing a greater awareness, especially in our regional community,’’ Ms Lewis said.
“Last year there was close to a 1000 people that attended the Shepparton Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch.
“Often prostate cancer has no symptoms at its earlier stage, but as it grows, symptoms can include difficulty or pain when urinating, or ejaculating, pain in the hips, thighs or lower back, and blood in the urine or semen, and the take-home message is see your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.”
It’s recommended that men see their doctor about a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test at the age of 50, or if, like Mr Vincent, they have family history, from the age of 40.
If they develop any symptoms, they are advised to speak to their doctor that same day.
“The take-home message is, if you have any concerns at all, any symptoms, you really need to see your doctor,” Ms Lewis said.
Mr Vincent was smart, and quick to act on his symptoms, and now has some clarity on the way forward.
“I was concerned because I couldn’t stop weeing and I didn’t feel relieved every time, so I went and saw my doctor,” he said.
“Obviously the main angst is around what happened to Dad.
“I don’t want to be crook like Dad and wait until it’s pretty much too late.
“By the time Dad was diagnosed his was so far advanced they couldn’t do anything for him.”
A scan has shown that Mr Vincent’s cancer hasn’t spread from the prostate, and he has a bout of surgery and recovery ahead of him, but he said having a plan of action was helping him deal with the situation he found himself in.
“I’m a lot better now. I have a plan,” he said.
“I have a diagnosis of ‘not spread’.
“That was one of my main concerns.
“If it did spread, what does that mean?
“And yeah, thankfully, I didn’t need to go down that path.”