‘DON’T BE A MAN’ Get your prostate checked

CLIVE MARKS, originally from Hertfordshire, moved back to the Midlands after several years in the States. He then travelled throughout Europe working in the holiday business. Twelve years ago he moved to Spain with his family after many years in Sales in the UK.

Around a year ago, Clive was diagnosed with prostate cancer after taking up the offer of a free PSA test. Clive tells us that around one in nine men will experience prostate cancer and although there is plenty of information out there, their reluctance to go to the doctor’s and get a simple blood test puts many of them in danger.

Clive has set up a Facebook Page ‘Get your prostate checked’ to try to get this message out. Clive agreed that often these messages should go out to the women as they are often the ones who persuade us men to look after our health. When Clive finally agreed to use the free voucher given to him by his wife, the test came back with a high PSA level. He stresses that this in itself did not mean he had cancer, only that he needed further tests.

The MRI scan revealed some concerns, and the subsequent biopsy confirmed that cancerous cells were present. The treatment identified for Clive was 28 sessions of Radio Therapy. This was followed