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In November 2018 I went to the doctors with a concern over not being able to pass water even though the urge was there (Stagefright). Though the doctor said I was too young for it to be prostate cancer (like cancer cares how old you) PSA tests were done and it came back marginally high at 3.4 and on 18th December a dreaded pokey finger test was done , which i was told all was okay. They said whilst your here we can do a biopsy (I'll let you google how that is done) to be 100% sure. I had the biopsy and was told it would be unlikely to be cancer as I am rather young at 46.

On 24th December 2018 I was summonsed for my results at leigh urology centre expecting the all clear as the doctor suggested earlier.

"I'm sorry to say this Mr. Ashcroft, but I'm afraid IT'S CANCER." was my result. the good news was that the cancer hadn't broken out of my prostate and was in early stages.

I was referred to the Christie for treatment and was told that if I was older as in my 70's they could hold it off until I died naturally, but at now 47 years old that was not an option. I had to have Treatment and would be on surveillance until I'd made a decision. My options were as follows

Radio therapy that would damage the nerves in that area and leave me incontinent and unable to get an erection.

Brachytherapy this is a form of internal radiation therapy that involves placing radioactive material inside or near a tumor to effectively destroy cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

again left with the same ailments as above option.

Then finally was a laparoscopic prostatectomy, where they use a DaVinci machine to remove it (google it it's scary). This again would leave me with same problems, but doing less nerve damage and with my age I would recover well.

This was what I picked 12 months later on November 26th 2019, with the fantastic Dr Lau doing my surgery.

I was recovering really well and with only stress incontinence a problem I made a near full recovery. The odd incontinent dribble enhanced by caffeine and alcohol. was controlled with Men's 'tena' pads but I couldn't do Judo anymore, so I took to swimming as well as gym as I now had pelvic floor strengthening to do.

I was soon to discover my cousin had stage 4 prostate cancer, only a few years older than me, but was not so lucky and is no longer with us. RIP John.

So this spring I have decided to enter the Manchester Marathon 2026

I started Training in June with no running experience.

First run round our park ended in me breathing from my backside after 3k and embarrassingly with some big incontinence leakage. By September I was up to 6k and a lot less leakage as my pelvic floor had strengthened.

I was then on a Greek cruise mid September and decided that sitting on a sunbed on our day at sea would bore me to tears. So I left Linda Happily with a book and went to the gym. I did 10k, that's a quarter way there I thought. So now I'm determined and those who know me know I'm like a dog with a bone. A week later another day at sea so back to the gym and aiming for 15k carried on to 22k (half marathon distance).

I'm currently training through winter and this week Found I needed an Inhaler due to Exercise induced asthma.

So if your over 50 get tested, a finger up the bum might not be nice but it may save your life, like mine. Prostate cancer is not the 'old man' cancer or the 'Easy to treat' cancer. It's Cancer and it wants you dead,

I would love a sponsor for the place that saved my life because I went Early and got sorted. So please Sponsor me and I will do everything I can to get over that line

I'm doing this for Me , my cousins memory and ultimately for the christie, so everyone can have the same treatment I had.

Sorry for the Long winded epilogue, but this is the first time I have managed to put this ordeal in words, so thank you for reading this far.

Also thank you Dr Lau

the yadi yadi yadi formal stuff

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