A group formed to support South Canterbury men dealing with prostate or testicular cancer has been reignited.
A support group under the leadership of Bob Penty and Kevin McGlinchy ran for some years, but when Mr Penty began experiencing further health problems he stepped back and Mr McGlinchy did not have the time to carry it on his own, the group went into abeyance.
However, local men Roger Rooke and Bill Taine have stepped up to carry on the work, and will hold the newly-ignited group’s first meeting on Thursday, June 5.
Meetings will be held on the first Thursday of the month at 2pm at the Southern Cancer Society’s South Canterbury rooms in Memorial Ave, Timaru.
If there was sufficient demand, the group would consider holding a regular evening meeting for those who were unable to attend in the day.
The group aimed to provide peer support, information and guest speakers for men — and their partners — who are dealing with prostate or testicular cancer.
Cancer Society community manager South Canterbury Tracey Barratt said her role was to go out and create awareness, cancer navigators could provide one-on-one guidance and the group would provide peer support.
While prostate cancer might be thought of as affecting only older men, Mrs Barratt said that — as with all cancers diagnoses were happening at a younger age and it was recommended that men get checked out from the age of 45, younger if there was a family history of the disease.
In New Zealand, it is estimated that one in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime and about 700 die from prostate cancer each year — almost two men every day.
Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in teens and young men, typically between the ages of 15 and 44 but it can occur at any age.
Every year in New Zealand, on average, 170 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer and eight die.
