Mark and Linda's lives were turned upside down when Mark was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“The day the doctor actually said, ‘You have prostate cancer,’ it all became a blur. I didn’t hear a thing that was said after that,” Mark remembers.
All their plans immediately went out the window and instead they were faced with endless doctors’ appointments, meetings with specialists and deciding on treatment plans. It was so overwhelming. They didn’t know what to do or who to talk to.
For Mark’s wife Linda and their family, it was difficult to know where to turn for the right treatment. “It was so hard to find information, to know what to do,” Linda said.
Navigating the whole process and working out the correct treatment at such an incredibly emotional time can be overwhelming for men like Mark and their families. It’s an added burden at a time when they’re already struggling to cope.
That’s where a Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia specialist nurse can help. Our nurses understand the fear and grief. They listen and provide informed advice when it’s needed. Most importantly, specialist nurses bring a comforting, human element to what can otherwise feel like a clinical process.