Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. It is generally a slow-growing cancer, and if detected early, there are a number of treatment options. For more information, please visit: https://prostatecanceruk.org/

my cancer journey

In 2023 at the age of 54 I noticed a slight urgency to pass urine when I went to the bathroom. That was it. No pain, no running to the toilet 5 or 6 times a night, no feeling unwell. At the time, I was fortunate that the charity Prostate Cancer UK were running a campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms. From the list they provided, I was over 50 and sometimes felt that urgency. It was so minor that I almost did nothing about it.

I was at college as a full-time mature student, near the end of a 2 year course studying for a fitness, health and exercise qualification. I exercised regularly and ate well (most of the time). Despite my instincts, I phoned my GP. He agreed it was probably nothing, but given my age, he figured there would be no harm in checking.

One test led to another, including bloods, MRI and eventually biopsy. In February 2024 I was diagnosed with Stage 2 prostate cancer. After the initial shock (no-one wants to hear the words “you have CANCER”) I figured it was slow-growing and I was lucky that it had been caught early. It was initially contained in the gland, so I decided on a period of active surveillance. I would then have my bloods checked every 3 months to measure my Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) levels.

For that first year nothing really changed. I didn’t feel unwell and was pretty much able to carry on as normal. I qualified as a Personal Trainer and began working in the fitness industry, specialising in people with health conditions and older adults.

However, after a year, I had another MRI as part of the surveillance. This time the results were more concerning. The scan revealed lesions on my gland that hadn’t been there the previous year. I was told the cancer appeared to be becoming more aggressive and I could consider more aggressive measures to tackle it.

After a lot of discussions with health professionals, my family and a bit of soul searching (including researching the Prostate Cancer UK website), I decided to deal with it head on and opted for a Radical Robotic Prostatectomy, to remove the gland entirely. This is a major surgery with potential side-effects, but my consultant felt that my relatively young age and good fitness levels meant that I was a good candidate for this treatment. I decided it was worth the risk and on 6th June 2025, I had the operation.

The recovery took a few months and slowly I was able to get back to my previous training regime. Over a year later, I still face the occasional challenge (especially with core work) but I’m more or less back to full fitness. I’ve no doubt that my recovery was helped by exercise and healthy lifestyle.

I attended a prostate cancer specific fitness course, run by Prostate Cancer Scotland, and this helped both my physical and mental recovery. I researched other courses and undertook the CIMSPA-accredited FitPro Prostate Cancer for Exercise Professionals training course.

My experience made me realise how much I want to help others like me and I have now combined my personal experience with my fitness knowledge to devise and deliver challenging, supportive, and fun exercise programmes for groups and individuals living with prostate cancer.