‘It can happen to anybody.’
Advocate and mother, Jen Berton, is determined to ensure other families don’t have to endure what her family has been through.
Her husband Mike was diagnosed with advanced and aggressive prostate cancer, courageously fighting the disease for 22 months before it claimed his life.
Mike had no symptoms until just before his diagnosis and underwent a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test after noticing he needed to urinate more frequently than normal.
It was soon found the cancer had already spread.
Mike was strong, funny, stubborn and a born leader who adored their children, says Jen.
“We were like opposites that fit. We were very yin and yang.
“We were so lucky. We had a good marriage, we had a nice house, two kids, dogs and a happy life.
“We wanted to grow old together … You just never expect a diagnosis like this, completely out of the blue.”
After losing Mike, Jen approached us to get involved in our advocacy for a review of the Clinical Guidelines on PSA Testing.
Jen knows, as we do, that revised guidelines and increased awareness can save many lives.
“We must do more to raise awareness and break the stigma around PSA testing and the misperception that prostate cancer is “an old man’s disease”.
“If it’s picked up early enough, it’s treatable,” Jen says.
“I know what’s happened to us is left of field, but if it can happen to an ordinary family like us, it can happen to anybody.”
With one Australian man diagnosed every 30 minutes, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among males. Tragically, nine men die from the disease each day.
Leading urologists and peak bodies such as the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand have supported our call for a review of the screening guidelines, expressing a concern that some GPs refuse to offer PSA testing to their patients.
Jen also shared her story in our Autumn Appeal.
To donate to the appeal, click here.
