For The Love Of Mike, Check Your Health

A PROSTATE cancer survivor, who lost his dad and both grandfathers to the disease, says early detection was crucial in helping to save his life.

Mike Maloney, from Kent, was diagnosed with the disease when he was just 48 years old but following successful treatment and surgery is now in remission.

The father of two knows how fortunate he is to have been diagnosed early. Every year in the UK, prostate cancer claims the lives of 12,000 men.

Now Mike is sharing his experience and joining forces with leading men's health charity Movember, as it announces a new £900,000 award, raised by players of People's Postcode Lottery. Movember will use the money to fund lifesaving prostate cancer research.

Mike, 59, was diagnosed with the disease three years after his dad, Noel, received his own diagnosis. Noel lived with prostate cancer for 13 years, before sadly passing away in early 2024.

Mike shared: "My dad was a beautiful man - stoic too. When I told him I had prostate cancer he hugged me and said, 'I'm sorry'.

"I remember telling him, 'You have nothing to be sorry for. This is just something that sits in our DNA'."

Mike, a retired accountant who has a son Jack, 28, and a daughter, Anna, 26, says he is motivated by his family to keep raising awareness about the disease and has also written a book about his experiences.

Due to his family history, Mike was able to catch his diagnosis early as he started having tests at a younger age than most men, which enabled him to receive a range of options to treat or monitor the disease.

Unfortunately, his father did not receive the same treatment, and because he was showing no symptoms, he wasn't offered a PSA test, which determines the measurement of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) concentration in the blood. Noel was eventually diagnosed after returning to the doctor three years later. By then the cancer had spread.

Mike said: "It was too late to take the prostate out, and while he lived with the disease for a long time, it did eventually kill him."

Mike had his prostate removed in 2014 and has spoken candidly about the impact of the disease and the side effects of treatment, which can include erectile dysfunction and incontinence.

Mike explained: "When I was diagnosed, I was told there was no way of knowing at that stage if the cancer was aggressive or slow growing - a tiger or a pussycat.

"There is this taboo about talking about prostate cancer and what the side effects of treatment may be. But it's necessary to talk in order to raise awareness and reduce the taboos.

"In the end I knew I wanted to do everything I could to maximise my chance of being alive for my family - being at things like my children's weddings, seeing my first grandchild."

Mike volunteers for Movember, which is working to raise awareness for men's health causes like prostate cancer alongside mental health, suicide prevention and testicular cancer.

Mike's son Jack, who lives in London, said: "I'm so proud of my dad and everything he does to raise awareness of prostate cancer. My dad is a wonderful example of how important it is to catch this disease early and as soon as I hit 30, I'll be making sure I have a PSA test every year."

Anne-Cecile Berthier, Country Director UK & Europe at Movember, said: "In the UK, 12,000 men lose their lives to prostate cancer and many more live with and beyond the disease. However, by taking action early, uniting bright minds, and improving the standard of care and health equity, we can change outcomes for men with prostate cancer.

"With thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery, we can make more strides in not only tackling gaps in prostate cancer treatment and care but also in improving men's health outcomes."

Making A Difference

People's Postcode Lottery players are helping deserving causes like Movember make a difference every single day. Read more about the range of Charities our players support.

Related Links

• Movember website