Supporting Prostate Cancer: Chapter 2

So, you have arrived at chapter 2.  Did you read chapter 1? If not, you might want to rewind a little first.  (CHAPTER 1)

You can carry on reading if you wish, as it’s quite important.

In 2018, something happened to me. My body was doing weird things. Not sure I really know you well enough to explain here, but it was definitely not normal.

I decided to visit my Doctor.

I told my story. “Probably nothing to worry about,” I was told. 

‘Probably’? A strange diagnosis.

Well fast forward a few months and it was finally confirmed that I had Prostate Cancer.  

Not sure why I gave the diagnosis the privilege of having capital letters there … although, at the time, it felt like I should spell it PROSTATE CANCER!

It’s hard to relate what the word ‘cancer’ means as:
a) you need to have gone through it yourself to even start to understand, and
b) I am assuming it may be different for everyone who has had the ‘C’ word directed at them.

For me, well, it was like a massive thump in the stomach. It really hurt. Not physically, but mentally. My daughter was 9 years old. I immediately started thinking about my mortality. I thought I would never see her grow up. Complete her education. Find a job. Meet a partner. Maybe have children. All the things that for many are the steps we take in life.

I woke every morning with the ‘C’ word looming over me. 
It was the first thing I thought about. 
My real smile had fallen off.
I put a brave face on things.

Many friends and family were superb. They dealt with the elephant in the room. They couldn’t understand, but they showed empathy. To be fair, I’m not sure I understood either.

The positives are that the ‘C’ word makes you think about what’s really important in life. You realise that you don’t want your epitaph to say ‘I wish I had spent more time doing tax returns.’

It’s easy to write this now, but at the time I continually seemed to focus on the fact that I might not be here this time next week.

I am still here. Seven years later.

After some amazing treatment, we are pretty sure the Cancer has gone.

My body is not quite the same given the treatment I had, but I can now think about life in a different way.

I was lucky.

Connect with our emails or socials as I will be sharing the final chapter and more about FROM YOU TO ME supporting a cause close to my heart.

Neil Coxon
Founder of FROM YOU TO ME

Go back to Chapter 1 or read Chapter 3. 

Here's the link to the Instagram video about this Chapter if you arrived here and missed it.

* Are you still waiting for that joke that Richard told us too?! ;-)

     

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