Like Father Like Daughter!

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness month and to highlight the importance of men’s health we couldn’t think of a better ambassador in the Hawkesbury to represent men diagnosed with prostate cancer than Pink Finss Charity Founder Jodie Amor’s beloved dad Russell Richardson.

Russell finished treatment for prostate cancer in March 2022 and at almost 80 years of age you could be forgiven for thinking a cancer diagnosis might slow Russell down, but no, like father like daughter…Russell’s positive approach to everything in life allows him to live each day not even contemplating the cancer’s return.

Russell believes it is not uncommon for men to wait until something happens to their bodies, before seeking help and by then it can be too late.  Since his mid 50’s Russell has always taken a proactive approach to his health, thanks to his very thorough GP, who made sure he had full health check-ups as part of his annual routine. “My GP has always made sure I had a yearly check-up and I honestly believe this was the reason the prostate cancer was caught so early”. 

Catching the prostate cancer early meant that the cancer could be monitored simply by having regular blood tests to monitor PSA levels, and it wasn’t until the levels jumped significantly, approximately 5 years later, that it triggered the next phase of the diagnosis which was meeting with specialists and oncologists to decide on a treatment plan.  Again, because of the initial early detection Russell only needed radiation because the cancer had been contained, rather than anything invasive like surgery to remove the prostate which can often leave men with ongoing side effects.

The intensive radiation, over 5 days, was a targeted approach using gold seeds implanted into the prostate to ensure the radiation hit the right areas.  “I could have taken the traditional approach with radiation which would have been a daily treatment over a 5-week period, but the idea of hitting it hard every second day, for 5 days seemed like the best approach.”

Jodie has always attributed her positive outcome from her breast cancer diagnosis 15 years ago to her own GP who picked up the diagnosis despite their being no visible lumps or a family history.  “Having the same GP since I was 16 years of age meant that she knew me so well and when something just didn’t seem right, she made sure she pushed for further tests which picked up my cancer,” said Jodie.

When we asked Russell whether his diagnosis triggered any emotions from his daughter Jodie’s diagnosis with breast cancer, he was adamant that it didn’t.  “You just get on with it and know that you will deal with whatever comes your way with a positive attitude”.

Jodie on the other hand felt scared when her dad was first diagnosed “Watching my dad be told he had cancer certainly brought back some memories for me, but it was comforting to know that he had caught it so early as I found out with my cancer experience, an early diagnosis can make all the difference.  I love that dad just got on with getting his treatment, joking with the nurses, and staying positive which is just so typical of my dad.  His outlook definitely made it easier on the family”.