As some of you may know, my brother Mick passed away 14 years ago from prostate cancer, at far too young of an age - he was only 57 years young.

Since Mick was first diagnosed, I've been monitoring my PSA level on an annual basis (I'd recommend testing your PSA when you turn 40, I started at 39).

Your PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) level can be an early indicator of the possible presence of cancer but it can also be an indication of benign enlargement of the prostate gland, so just because your PSA level is high it doesn't mean you have prostate cancer (PSA is an additional blood test that your doctor can request by simply ticking an extra box on the lab requisition).

My recommendation is to call your doctor today to find out what your PSA level is. Your doctor may already be testing your PSA level and has simply not shared your results as they weren't alarming. Or your doctor may have neglected requesting your PSA level on your blood tests. Either way, you need to be an advocate for your own health.

Ya, I know, us guys don't usually go see the doctor unless we broke our arm or need stitches, or because our wife or partner insisted and booked an appointment or whatever, but that's just stupid. Us guys need to man up and take care of our own health - so do me a favor and call your doctor - today.

Now I'm going to share my personal journey, I am a prostate cancer graduate. As I said above, I've been monitoring my PSA level for nearly 20 years now and have always been in the "normal" range but on the high side of normal (what can I say, I'm an overachiever). We have an amazing Prostate Centre here in Calgary and so my GP recommended that I book an appointment with a urologist just to be safe as they're the experts. In March of 2019 my PSA was 3.9, which for a 57 year old is not too high.

At the Prostate Centre they did the typical health questionnaire, and being I had a family history of prostate cancer I had my first biopsy which showed a very small amount of potentially cancerous irregular cells and they asked me to enrol in their active surveillance program. Then in October 2019 my PSA dropped to 3.7 and I thought perfect, I'm eating right, getting more exercise, I'll be just fine.

Six months later in March 2020 I was due for my next PSA test and they suggested I wait to have it done (due to COVID they weren't seeing patients anyway). So, I waited until May to have another blood test.

This time my PSA level jumped to 6.5 and my urologist recommended another biopsy which confirmed I had very early stage prostate cancer in ~ 24% of my prostate. I still remember his words as if they were yesterday, if it were me or my brother or my dad or a good friend, I'd suggest they have it out. I said, you mean later this fall like November and he said, no, I mean in the next couple of months.

This all happened on May 12th, two days before my 58th birthday. I talked to my wife about it, we talked to my urologist about it and decided this was the best course of action. Plus, I really didn't want to go through what my brother had gone through knowing he passed at my age 14 years ago. So I waited to hear a surgery date and within a few weeks I had a date of Monday July 6th.

I have to pass along kudos to Dr. Gregory Kozak, one of the leading urologists in Calgary. He's one talented dude and performed my robotic radical prostatectomy. That's right, robotic. Pretty crazy huh that they can use arthroscopic tools controlled robotically to remove your prostate. My results have been outstanding and I owe it all to the Prostate Centre, Dr. Kozak and the amazing staff at the Rockyview Hospital here in Calgary.

The stats - 1 in 9 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Every day in Canada, that's 63 men diagnosed and 11 men dying from the disease.

If detected early, the survival rate is nearly 100%. If detected late, 3 of 4 men will die.

Pretty staggering statistics right, so like I said get in to see your doc and get your PSA level tested. If you're anything like me I always have "to do" lists so put it at the top of your list and get in touch with your doctor.

I just had my PSA tested post surgery and my PSA level was undetectable, which basically means I'm prostate cancer free.

Movember is working to halve the number of deaths from prostate cancer by 2030, and I want to help them get there.

Help me stop men dying too young.