Well, the end of another year and it’s certainly been an eventful one.

If I were to mention the highlights for the year they would be – undergoing radiation therapy, Prostate Cancer UK, launching the ‘One In Three’ podcast and the 10km run.

The final tally for this year’s 10km for prostate cancer came to the grand total of £6,600. We had twice the number of runners but a ‘Cost of living crisis’ that we didn’t have the last time we ran was still very apparent. Also, I have to say it, not all the runners were interested in the fund-raising part of the run. To some it was a ‘fun run’ so didn’t make any fund raising efforts, which was kind of the whole point but not to dwell on that. We had high hopes of getting to that five-figure total of £10k but we didn’t get there. We beat the total from the last run and most importantly, we have raised an amazing sum for a fantastic charity.

With regards to radiotherapy, I wished that I never needed it in the first place but when it came it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined or feared. It was my friend undergoing radiotherapy at the same time for his cancer and then dying soon afterwards that gave me the biggest worry. Then getting the ‘stabilized’ diagnosis, three months later was a shock but we remain hopeful for the next PSA reading, early next year.

It was probably sometime last year that I first asked myself two questions regarding this blog. The first question was, can I keep up a monthly schedule of submissions and more fundamentally, how much longer would I continue writing it. Admittedly some months have been harder than others, but I have been fortunate that there has always been something to write about. The biggest and the saddest change was the decision by Prostate Cancer UK to stop the Awareness talks.

Initially I thought it was a bad decision to stop them and a couple of volunteer colleagues that I have spoken to agree with me. Nothing beats the in person talks. You just won’t get guys to open up the same way or ask the questions they do in person. Prostate cancer is so deeply personal to men.  No zoom call can replace that. No zoom call will encourage men to open up like an in-person event. I cannot count how many times men have approached me privately after a talk and they have either told me about their worries or personal experiences.

It was around the 3^rd talk that I experienced the scandal of the refused PSA tests. It was during a talk that not one but two men had told me that they had been refused tests. I was completely dumb founded as they fit all the criteria of age, race and history of prostate cancer in the family. I didn’t really know what to tell them other than to persevere and try again. It would only be a few weeks later that I would find out one of the main disgusting reasons why this was happening – the surgeries not wanting to be financially responsible for the further tests. I took pride in finding a simple solution to now tell the guys – asking for the refusal from the surgery in writing. A small triumph in an ongoing battle.

I didn’t take anytime off over the Christmas holidays, so I was at work in the office on my own one day and when it hit me. I stopped to think about what doing these talks and volunteering has done for me. It has been so therapeutic for me, more than I ever realised. I would actually go as far to say it’s been life changing. I have been able to bury myself in these talks and almost escape from my own circumstances. I have also met some incredible people and made some important and meaningful friendships.

Over the 5 years I have bent your ears I have loved adding to this blog. Every blog has been special, I don’t have a singular one that I can point out.

I can remember watching in awe as David put the room to rights and then us embarking on my very first talk, not knowing the adventures just around the corner. Then I got into my stride and realised a dream and got to speak to my colleagues in my workplace.

It wasn’t all plain sailing. There would be stories that would really pull at the heartstrings,

32. The Other Side, 40. Esther, 72. The Devil and Her Apprentice Do Not Wear Prada and They Live In Peckham. Part One , 86. Building Bridges, 87. Secrets and Lies Don’t Hurt, It’s The Truth That Does

The pride of the blog becoming a finalist in the UK Blog Awards 33. The Year Just Gone and The Longest Seven Months , 47. Home Sweet Home

Not likely to give up my day job or challenge Denzel but I had a bit part in a video.

https://www.reimagine-pca.org/patients

And so many more!

I am not going to stop the blog (put away that bunting and confetti cannon you may have been about to use) but it will become event driven, so when I have something remotely interesting to share you will hear it first.

The podcast has been another source of joy and entertainment. It’s not quite a verbatim of the blog posts as some of the posts do not translate well to vocal. I have amalgamated some, left others out and have been able to add information that I didn’t have back then. It takes a bit to produce each podcast, I have released 20 for season 1. It may become a fortnightly or monthly endeavour but not weekly like it was. I was in two minds about if I would continue it and then I got a summary from the podcast provider.

So if there are still people out there that want to listen to it, I will continue.

Onward and upward for 2024 see you there.