Mike Berton was a fit and strong man with no family history of prostate cancer . Login or signup to continue reading He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease at age 51, after having symptoms of urinating more than usual. Mike died four years ago from prostate cancer at age 53.
"The first symptom was when he said 'I can't drink beer any more, I need to go to the toilet too much'," his wife Jen Berton said. Jen, along with kids Bethany, 18, and Kai, 16, believe strongly in the importance of having a conversation about prostate cancer - especially this time of year. "It's a triple whammy.
It's Father's Day on Sunday, it is Mike's birthday on September 6 and it's also Prostate Cancer Awareness Month," Jen said. To honour Mike, the family will hold the third annual 4X4 fundraiser on September 21 in the Watagans to raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Jen, of Kanwal on the Central Coast, said the family sought to put the spotlight on "early detection and education of PSA [prostate-specific antigen] blood testing".
Scientific opinions vary on prostate cancer screening with the PSA, which does not diagnose the disease but can be a clue that something is not right. About 3500 men die of prostate cancer in Australia each year, including about 300 from the Hunter New England/Central Coast health network. About 600 prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in the Hunter alone each year.
The foundation urges men to ask their doctor about risks, benefits an.