Speaker 1: Everyone, this is a really special one for me. So
Speaker 1: if you're listening to the show a couple of weeks ago,
Speaker 1: I shared that my stepdad, Neil, is currently going through
Speaker 1: palliative care and that's because he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Speaker 1: It has been it's been eight years now since he
Speaker 1: was diagnosed, and it's been such a journey and we're
Speaker 1: at the tail end of that. This is a discussion
Speaker 1: we had on the show a couple of weeks back.
Speaker 1: By the time we found out about it as a family,
Speaker 1: it was already stage four prostate cancer.
Speaker 2: And he's young, he's sixty five.
Speaker 1: The reason why I wanted to talk about this is
Speaker 1: because if us speaking about it and saying, like, speak
Speaker 1: to your dad's about getting his prostate checked, speak to
Speaker 1: your husband about it, if that saves one family from
Speaker 1: going through what our family is going through, then this
Speaker 1: conversation is worthwhile.
Speaker 3: And it was so nice of you to share that, Laura,
Speaker 3: because I imagine it's not easy, but it's such an
Speaker 3: important message at the same time.
Speaker 1: Well, I mean for us, Like I didn't just want
Speaker 1: to share this to update you on what's happening in
Speaker 1: our household, like in our family tragedies. But the reason
Speaker 1: why I wanted to talk about this is because very
Speaker 1: often we don't speak about we don't speak about hard
Speaker 1: topics with our dads, especially especially when it comes to
Speaker 1: things about prostate cancer. I would put money on it
Speaker 1: that very few people sitting in their cars or wherever
Speaker 1: you're listening to this right now, have ever caught up
Speaker 1: their dad and said, hey, dad, when did you last
Speaker 1: have your PSA tested? When did you last have your
Speaker 1: prostate checked? Because it's kind of awkward, it's weird, And
Speaker 1: that has been the most important thing to me is
Speaker 1: getting this message out that let's stop making it awkward.
Speaker 1: Let's try and have these conversations with our dads, because
Speaker 1: it could absolutely save their life and it would mean that,
Speaker 1: you know, if it stops one family from being in
Speaker 1: the situation that we currently are with my stepdad, then
Speaker 1: it will have made all of the difference. And it
Speaker 1: was really vulnerable to have that conversation on a couple
Speaker 1: of weeks back. But we have received such an outpouring
Speaker 1: from you guys, from so many listeners who said that
Speaker 1: they went home that evening, they called their dads or
Speaker 1: they sent them a text. And I'm so grateful to
Speaker 1: everybody who has done that, and I hope that we
Speaker 1: can keep spreading.
Speaker 2: The words I did that.
Speaker 4: I text my dad, text Mark CHERI, oh my dad,
Speaker 4: have you done it?
Speaker 2: And he was great.
Speaker 4: He's like no, it's a blood test now, and I'm like,
Speaker 4: I don't think it is. And he went called his
Speaker 4: doctor and he had another check up. Like all because
Speaker 4: of the conversation.
Speaker 3: Yeah, my dad was the same Big Tones was like, yes,
Speaker 3: possum every two years, I've done it.
Speaker 2: And I was like, wow, what are relief? A good dad,
Speaker 2: you know. But also we had the full spectrum.
Speaker 1: We had some people message in saying that asked their dads,
Speaker 1: their dads had never been to go and get a
Speaker 1: test done. We had some people who whose dads are
Speaker 1: a bit like oh yeah, weird conversation, but you know,
Speaker 1: thanks sweetheart, Thanks Dalin for the for thinking of me.
Speaker 2: I just went a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1: But one of those, one of those people, one of
Speaker 1: those listeners who did have that conversation with their dad
Speaker 1: was Maddie and she gave us a call.
Speaker 2: Maddie, welcome to the pickup.
Speaker 5: I'm ad, Hey you go, how are you going?
Speaker 2: We're good?
Speaker 4: So you had this conversation with your dad after hearing
Speaker 4: Laws talking about her experience. Yeah.
Speaker 5: Yeah, So I heard Laws talking about it and I
Speaker 5: was like, oh, I got to give that a call
Speaker 5: off work. So gave me bars and was just like, hey,
Speaker 5: heard this really is sad story on the radio, but
Speaker 5: like just making sure you've had into checks and hey,
Speaker 5: I don't know his typical man New sixties. And he
Speaker 5: was like, oh, I do want to talk about that,
Speaker 5: like you know, chip your nose out of it kind
Speaker 5: of thing. And I was like come on, and my mum,
Speaker 5: good old mom, piped up and she was like, well, actually,
Speaker 5: I'm pretty sure you got that blood test form from
Speaker 5: the doctor like two months ago, and I'm pretty sure
Speaker 5: it's still sitting on the kitchen counter. And I was like, well,
Speaker 5: that's like it's such a typical dad thing. And I
Speaker 5: was like, well come on then, Dad, and I actually
Speaker 5: had a like my own blood test. I didn't get
Speaker 5: my eye in checks, nothing too exciting. And I was like,
Speaker 5: come on tomorrow morning, I'm going to pick you up.
Speaker 5: We'll go get our blood tests on together and then
Speaker 5: we can go get grecky because they had to do
Speaker 5: like a fasting one we.
Speaker 2: Wort a date for blood test.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it was actually really nice. Like what means the
Speaker 5: blood test? B it's a blood test, but yeah, it
Speaker 5: was good and it forced him to do it. He
Speaker 5: got his results. They were all good, which is obviously
Speaker 5: great needs but it's like, what good is it sitting
Speaker 5: on the kitchen counter?
Speaker 1: I know, And Maddie when you wrote that in like,
Speaker 1: I'm so grateful for you sharing that, because I would
Speaker 1: I dare say that there's so many men out there
Speaker 1: who have received their reminder and like, you know, oh,
Speaker 1: it's just it's not going to be me, so it's
Speaker 1: not that important. And then they put it, you know,
Speaker 1: on the back burner and then weeks turn into months,
Speaker 1: months turn into years, And that very much is the
Speaker 1: situation with my stepdad. And I love that now it's
Speaker 1: something that you're able to talk about with your dad
Speaker 1: and it doesn't have to be a big deal.
Speaker 2: It's just a blood test.
Speaker 3: Yeah, But do you know what is another I feel
Speaker 3: like there's another message in this.
Speaker 2: And I don't even know if you.
Speaker 3: Realized you just said it, but you said, hey, have
Speaker 3: you had it done?
Speaker 2: He was like, Oh, I'm not sure. Don't want to
Speaker 2: talk about it, and then your mom still wasn't even
Speaker 2: positive that that's what the blood test was.
Speaker 3: She's like, oh, I think you have a referral for that.
Speaker 3: Like the fact that it is just not front and
Speaker 3: center on anyone's minds is something we also need to realize,
Speaker 3: Like we need to be so proactive with our own health,
Speaker 3: let alone, like you shouldn't have to look after someone else.
Speaker 3: But the fact that your mom was like, oh, that's right,
Speaker 3: Like I think that was something to do with prostate cancer.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and also, men not up to the women in
Speaker 4: your life to remind you to get your blood test done.
Speaker 4: Got to be an advocate for your own health. Go
Speaker 4: get the test.
Speaker 1: But you know what, statistically it's just not the case.
Speaker 1: We know that most men avoid going to the doctors
Speaker 1: and so and I really I cannot overstress this enough.
Speaker 1: If you if you have a dad who you love,
Speaker 1: if you've got a husband and they're in that age range, like,
Speaker 1: please go home and have the conversation with them, because yeah,
Speaker 1: like I would hate for there to be another family
Speaker 1: in the situation that we're in, and statistically they will
Speaker 1: be and there are currently, So please speak to your dads,
Speaker 1: Speak to your husbands speak to your uncles.
Speaker 2: Let's make this a normal conversation.
Speaker 4: Well you lost, We love to nail too,