UPDATE - Issue 21 - Spring 2005
In the genes - John Sapsford's story
I spend nine months of the year out of the UK, much of it in the US. There, the benefits of early detection of prostate cancer are well known and widespread. Supermarkets have prostate cancer awareness days - seemingly on a fairly regular basis. There, they urge men to have an annual test from the age of 40.
Globe-trotting John Sapsford at one
of his favourite watering holes
A good friend's twin brother died of the disease in his early 50's almost four years ago and my friend was only diagnosed (after low PSA tests) because of his urologist's conviction that he must have the disease because he was a twin. The standard six sample biopsy found nothing - but the twelve sample biopsy did.
A Kiwi friend in the US, who has three brothers who have experienced the disease, kept asking me how I'd feel if, by not having the annual check, I caught the disease too late and it killed me. How, he asked, would I ever explain that to my three young daughters. 'Sorry girls I'm going to die of this thing because I was too busy to spend ten minutes a year having a blood test!.
Despite all this indirect knowledge of prostate cancer reaching me over a five year period I had still never had a PSA test and I was now 52. The summer of 2003 changed that. My father, at the age of 75. was diagnosed with the disease. It had spread to the bones and the future would be shorter than it might otherwise have been. As the urologist put it to him - 'this is what is probably going to kill you unless you have an accident'.
Dad was devastated and distraught. He thought that year was going to be his last. It was at this time that I started looking into the disease more and the various alternatives we had for treatment.
I soon learned that by having one male relative with the disease made me something like five times more at risk. My dad had a younger brother and I thought that I must tell him to go have the check.
My uncle was in his late 60's but without an ounce of fat on him and running probably 5-10 miles four or five times a week. He was relaxing on a garden bed when I went round to tell him the bad news. As the C word came out he looked at my Aunt and I was ushered back in to the house.
He shook me with the comment 'I had that a couple of years ago'. I was now something like twelve times as likely to get the disease and worse was yet to come as he proceeded to tell me that another of my uncles had some problem with the prostate but nobody knew exactly what that problem was.
To cut a long story short, I had some tests (positive) and a radical prostatectomy carried out by the (so I was told) number one surgeon in the country.
Everything went well with the op and my three quarterly checks to date have all found negligible PSA levels and I'll have my final quarterly check in April. Sex has still to be rediscovered and I will try some medication to help in that direction.
I still feel positive about life and so thankful to have caught it early. I'm now looking at ways that I can help provide more awareness of the disease and the regular checking for men approaching their 50's.
John Sapsford, a staunch supporter of the charity, is currently in the final production stages of his film, Lost Dogs, due to premiere in Bristol later this year. He hopes, in the future, to produce a film trailer to raise awareness of prostate cancer and the benefit of regular checks.