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- Gary's prostate cancer story
I’m ruling my prostate cancer, it’s not going to rule me!
Gary from Nottingham was shocked to be diagnosed with prostate cancer aged 63 on the 21 December 2021 – a date he remembers very clearly, the anniversary of the day his mum died.
Gary’s symptoms started with difficulty urinating, and he initially had a small operation to correct this. When that didn’t fully solve the problem, he needed a second operation after which Gary was sent for further tests. He wasn’t really expecting there to be anything wrong. His wife even stayed in the car while he went inside to hear the results, so it was a total shock to be told he had prostate cancer which had spread to his bones. Gary explained “Naturally my wife came in to join me, and it was all a bit of a blur, but my immediate reaction was to say OK, what’s the cure, only to be told there isn’t one.”
Gary continues “My consultant, Dr Sundhar, discussed my case with the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), who agreed the best treatment for me would be hormone therapy, bone infusions to strengthen my bones, and regular scans to monitor progress. The tablets were referred to as ‘novel’ having been used in France and the US, but not so much in the UK. Luckily, I had private health insurance through my job and could access these advanced treatments.”
4 years on, I have regular scans and I’m stable. When I was first diagnosed, my PSA was 171, now it sits at 0.04. At first, I carried on working - to keep things normal, but after a year I thought why am I doing this. Instead, my partner Julie and I got married after 16 years together, and I surprised her with a honeymoon on the Orient Express to Venice. We’ve since been to the Caribbean, on a road trip to Nashville, New Orleans, and Austin in Texas, and have already booked a trip to Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia in 2026.
I worked as an Area Director in Financial Services until I retired and used to DJ as a hobby. These days I’m Captain of our local golf club and DJ for their charity events supporting Maggie’s Centre in Nottingham.
When I was first diagnosed, I only told my family and a few close friends, one of whom – Chris, went to get a PSA test himself. Sadly, it turned out he had the same diagnosis as me, which came as a shock to him, and when it became more aggressive, he passed away.
After my prostate cancer diagnosis, I didn’t think I would still be here now and neither did my family. I’m truly grateful to everyone at the GenesisCare centre in Nottingham for all their care and support, they truly are an amazing team.
I’ve been attending the GenesisCare centre in Nottingham centre for 4 years, and Dr Sundar and the team have been fantastic. They are experts, and I’ve put my full trust in them. I’ll never forget the words of one of the kind members of staff who told me at the beginning, ‘Right now you’re letting the cancer rule you, you need to find a way to rule the cancer’. She was so right, and today I’m in charge!
At GenesisCare, we’re proud to support patients like Gary to live well with cancer. Find out how our expert, personalised cancer care could help you take control of your diagnosis.