Trevor Sills should be dead or dying. But his late father saved his life.
Losing his father, Bernard, to prostate cancer 20 years ago prompted the Cambridge coffee cart proprietor to have an annual Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and last year he discovered he had early-stage prostate cancer.
Trevor Sills urges men to get their prostates checked.
Sills, now 64, received bad news following his PSA test.
“This is simply a blood test, and the result should fall within a specific range, which goes up gradually with your age,” Sills said. “That’s why one test isn’t necessarily accurate, but if you have one every year, it enables them to detect a pattern and, if there is a sudden increase, it’s easy to spot.”
Sill’s doctor noticed an increase in his PSA levels and performed a physical examination.
“He felt something that concerned him, so he recommended me to a urologist,” Sills said.
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan led to a biopsy, which confirmed Sills had early-stage prostate cancer.
“I had no symptoms, so the only reason they caught it early was because I had been having yearly blood tests,” Sills said.
“When they catch it early you have a good chance of a full recovery.”
Sills had surgery in October and was unable to work for six weeks afterwards. A recent blood test showed he was free of cancer.
“I’m grateful that my doctor was really good and acted quickly,” Sills said.
“He suggested I have yearly blood tests because, since there was cancer in my family, there was a bigger risk that I would get it.”
Sills remembers a fit and healthy father who never needed a doctor until at 75 he had the symptoms of prostate cancer.
“One day, he started passing blood in his urine and, after going to the doctor, he found out that he had advanced prostate cancer. He had never had any symptoms whatsoever, but the cancer had spread from his prostate, up his spine and into his lungs.”
Sills’ father died a year later.
“I don’t have any sons, but I’ve recommended my brother get tested, and I’ve even suggested to some of my male customers that they start getting routinely tested.”
Sills shared his story with The News because he believed testing for prostate cancer didn’t get promoted as much as other cancers.
“They promote bowel screening, breast testing, and cervical cancer, but you never see anything for prostate cancer, despite it being the most commonly diagnosed cancer in NZ, not counting skin cancer,” he said.
“Every year 4000 men are diagnosed and over 700 die from it, so I don’t know why prostate cancer doesn’t get the publicity. It could be because one test by itself doesn’t necessarily tell them anything useful. But if they encourage all men over 40 to get a blood test every year, it won’t take long until they’re saving lives.”
Prostate Cancer NZ is promoting what they call Blue Ribbon September including Blue Do fundraising events. Te Awamutu Light Operatic Society is marking the 25th anniversary of The Full Monty film with the comedy play’s performances at The Woolshed Theatre from September 2 to 16 as part of Blue Do.
Trevor Sills
