Lee's story - In September 2019 I had the opportunity of a free PSA test. I simply put some money in a charity envelope and had the blood test. We knew my Grandad had had it in his 70's but thought nothing of it.

By late October everyone else who attended had received their results by email. I hadn't received anything and thought it may simply be lost or a wrong email address. 

A few days later I got a letter, not an email. The response told me my PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) was above average - 7.2. I brushed it off, shrugged my shoulders and thought nothing more. I had no side effects whatsoever so wasn't concerned.

 
Eventually, by November, I booked a doctors follow up appointment. Reluctantly, the doctors arranged for another PSA test to be performed. They didn't think I needed one as I was only 46 years old.
This time it had risen to 8.2.

Then it all escalated, and thankfully rather quickly. Specialist appointment with the unpleasantries - scan, trus biopsy and then another specialist. That's when the results were announced. "You have Cancer". Not what anyone wants to hear.

 
The hope was that whatever I had was in its early stages. I was given the choices, with one being an operation to remove the prostate. I had decided on this before I left the hospital.

Tears from my family, especially my mum, but not me.
Life goes on, nothing I can do, so crack on. I kept my mind occupied, lost a bit of weight, kept fit and waited for the operation date. That came as a surprise as the letter was delayed. Tomorrow you have your Pre-Assessment Mr Rayment, your operation is in a weeks time!!

Still busy, time flew. Still no side effects. In the hospital at 0700. Operation table at 0740. Woke up at 1340. 6 hours of my life gone, and I have no idea what happened. Except my prostate had been removed. 

Home the next day. Walking after 2 weeks. Running after 5. They said you go with your own feelings, and I felt good.

When the results came through, my prostate had been cancerous - a bit like an orange with a protruding tip. But had the cancer spread?
That's down to time. The follow up PSA tests have all shown zero.
I consider myself extremely lucky. It could have been so much worse.
I caught it through pure luck and at the right time.

That's my prostate cancer story. That's why I hope anyone else who can have the test does, whether you have symptoms or not.

I am an active person at work and at home. I don't sit still. Running, rowing and bike are all key parts of my time off. This challenge is something totally different and I have no expectations that its gonna be a walk in the park. Luckily, my 19 year old daughter Ashleigh will be there by my side and I am grateful that I am here to be able to complete this challenge with her. We want to complete it help raise awareness to everyone of the importance of being tested. If it helps prevent the most common form of cancer in men, then I am all for it. I was lucky. Others may not be.

I hope this all helps. It shows, in my view, how important it is for ALL men to take prostate cancer seriously. And how many do not get treatment early enough, and miss the opportunities to get treatment at an early stage. That's why we need to support and promote prostate cancer at all available opportunity.

Why Snowdonia?
The idea of finding people to climb Snowdon to raise funds for prostate cancer research was dreamed up over 10 years ago by prostate cancer sufferer Matt Rannamets. Sadly, prostate cancer took Matts life in 2016, but his legacy lives on through this inspiring event. His idea proved successful, having raised over £1 million pounds for the Prostate Cancer Research Centre. Last year 57,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. They are someone's grandfather, father, brother, or son. Whilst prostate cancer is treatable in the prostate, once it spreads to other parts of the body, it becomes incurable and life-threatening. Our aim is simple: to fund the ground-breaking research that will stop lives being needlessly lost to advanced disease. All funds raised at Snowdonia for Science will go back into research, helping scientists to test the innovative treatments that give hope to men with advanced disease.