So below the belt for men's good health

Charity to benefit from upcoming Rotary Bookfest in Noosa

HELPING HAND: Rotary's Stewart Wood, prostate cancer survivor Malcolm Hughes, Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia state manager Peter Duffy and Cr Jess Glasgow. Picture: Peter gardiner

AS CHOICE breakfast topics go at Rotary Noosa Daybreak morning meeting, this was definitely below the belt and more than called for, according to Malcolm Hughes.

The Sunshine Coast Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia ambassador, who had his prostate removed in 2010, encouraged ageing men and their partners to talk about a subject most men treated as taboo.

"All these things are below the belt, so you have got to talk about it in that perspective, you can't help it.” Malcolm said.

Across Australia, the foundation has raised

more than $54 million over 20 years for world-class research into prostate cancer, which claims the lives of 3000 men a year.

Rotary Noosa Daybreak president Stewart Wood said the major beneficiary of this year's Bookfest Noosa, to be held May 4-6, was the foundation, to help with its aim of taking the number of prostate cancer specialist nurses nationally over the next five years from 45 to 110.

And with each nurse costing $150,000 a year to supply, every charitable dollar counts towards this saving of lives.

"It's a disease you don't know you've got,” Malcolm said.

When his symptoms became apparent, his biopsy revealed his was of the highest level, but he has been treated successfully and his PSA (prostate specific antigen) readings are now good.

Malcolm said there was now one prostate cancer nurse on the Sunshine Coast based at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

He said he had "really good back-up” from a male nurse after his cancer was removed at Nambour Hospital, who would ring him up to check on his progress.

"He was quite good but that was fairly rare.”

His advice is for men of advanced age to be tested for PSA annually and to have the digital rectum examination, and if "anyone's had prostate cancer, make sure their sons are doing it by the age of 40” as this can run in the family.

Malcolm said there were quite a few young men who were now at risk.

"They're doing autopsies on men that have been killed in car accidents and that sort of thing and men in their high 20s and very early 30s are showing signs of prostate cancer,” he said.

Bookfest will run over three days from Friday to Sunday, May 4-6, from 9am-5pm every day, at the Noosa Leisure Centre in Noosaville.

For inquiries about Bookest book donations, call 1300 791 226, while the foundation can be contacted at [e-mail].