Nick's story

“Why me?” were some of Nick’s first thoughts when he was diagnosed with Stage 1 prostate cancer.

At the time Nick was extremely fit and focused on his family, career and training for endurance bike riding events.

“It was early 2019 when I went for my annual check-up around my 45th birthday. At the time I was fit and healthy and had no ailments or concerns. I had my usual Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) check which came back ’normal’, but my GP noticed the levels were trending up over time since commencing annual check-ups at age 40. Considering my family history (my father had prostate cancer) he referred me to a specialist, who then recommended an MRI. The MRI showed a couple areas of concern, and I was referred for a biopsy” Nick said.

“At the time of the biopsy I was still thinking it was a ‘tick the box’ thing I had to do, and there wasn’t anything to fear.

It wasn’t until I was sitting on the hospital bed in pre-op for the biopsy that I started thinking, ‘something is wrong here’, ‘this isn’t right’, ‘I shouldn’t be here’. That was a real moment of realisation for me.Nick

“I went back to the specialist after the biopsy and he confirmed I had Stage 1 prostate cancer. 

When I received the diagnosis I had this moment of ‘this can’t be real, how can I have cancer’. After telling my wife I rang my older brother straight away as I was trying to process what that actually meant.

After the diagnosis for prostate cancer Nick then had to undergo further tests to ensure the cancer hadn’t spread. “That was the scariest part. I was sitting by myself in waiting rooms contemplating my life and the unknown, wondering if my body was having a complete meltdown. That waiting and the unknown was the toughest time,” Nick said.

“Fortunately, the other scans came back clear and the cancer hadn’t spread from the prostate, but I then had to sit down and have the conversation that no parent wants to have. I had to tell my daughters, who were 12 and 14 at the time, that I had prostate cancer. 

For the first time in their lives I broke down in front of them. They came and gave me a hug, but to them I was still the superhero that could do anything. At the time they didn’t comprehend the seriousness of the situation and what that could mean for me and our family.Nick

“Just two months after the biopsy I had surgery to remove the whole prostate which had already progressed from Stage 1 to Stage 2 in just two months since the initial biopsy. After the initial rehabilitation, I had zero impact physically, but emotionally it took two years to work through the trauma, fear and loneliness I felt. I was 45 at the time and the support networks for younger men with prostate cancer don’t exist. I also spent two years fearing the cancer would come back or had spread to another area of my body," Nick said.

“Early last year, two years after the surgery, my GP sat me down and said ‘you are cured, there is no evidence of it remaining.”

I feel I am one of the lucky ones.Nick