Madeline Jones will never forget the phone call during the COVID lockdown from her dad when he uttered the words “I have cancer”.
“It just broke me,” she said.
Madeline’s father, Steven, was diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 prostate cancer after a routine blood test.
It has since spread to his bones and will take his life.
Steve and Madeline Jones have a strong father-daughter bond. (Supplied: Madeline Jones)
“I can honestly still remember the phone call and exactly how it went,” she said.
“It puts everything in life in perspective and just makes you appreciate everyone you have.”
Prostate cancer is one of the most diagnosed cancers in Australia and the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Australian men.
It kills more than 10 Australians every day.
Ms Jones says prostate cancer is not an old person’s disease after her dad’s diagnosis at 52. (Supplied: Madeline Jones)
Mr Jones was a fit and healthy 52-year-old when he received the shocking news.
Since that phone call four years ago, his daughter, based in Emerald in central Queensland, has been driven by a desire to prevent other families from facing the heartbreak they have endured.
“It’s not just an old person’s disease,” Ms Jones said.
Cost of living preventing check-ups
Around 27,000 Australian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) chief executive Anne Savage said more men were dying from it than ever before.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia chief executive Anne Savage. (Supplied: PCFA)
“We are extremely concerned that Australia’s cost-of-living crisis will result in delayed diagnosis of prostate cancer, contributing to avoidable deaths from what is otherwise a highly treatable disease,” she said.
Ms Savage said, for many thousands of men at risk of prostate cancer, the price of seeing a GP for a routine Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test had become too high.
The PSA test is a blood test used primarily to screen for prostate cancer.
“The latest health department data shows there were three million fewer GP visits in the past financial year — a drop of that scale is bound to have consequences for the early detection of cancer,” Ms Savage said.
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness of this disease that one in five Australian men will be diagnosed with by the time they are 85.
“Awareness is just so important when it comes to survival from prostate cancer in this country and we know at the moment that awareness levels are really low,” Ms Savage said.
“Very few Australian men know the guidelines for PSA testing and even fewer men understand the stages of prostate cancer, which means that often when they’re diagnosed they’re completely hit out of the blue.”
The Jones family (from left) Anthony, Madeline, Steven, Andrew, and Matthew. (Supplied: Madeline Jones)
Spreading the word in the bush
According to the PCFA, if there is a family history of prostate cancer, men have twice the average risk of developing the disease.
“I have three older brothers, so Dad’s diagnosis has had a trickle-on effect,” Ms Jones said.
“They now have annual blood tests to check their PSA levels to make sure that there’s no kind of irregular activity.”
Ms Jones is lacing up her shoes for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia’s Long Run in September. (Supplied: Madeline Jones)
Men living in regional or rural areas of Australia also have about a 24 per cent higher chance of dying from prostate cancer than their urban counterparts.
“It’s hard living in smaller regional areas because there’s not that access to the healthcare and all the services that you get in the cities,” Ms Jones said.
“So it’s even more important to raise awareness in those smaller communities.”
After receiving the news of her dad’s incurable prostate cancer diagnosis, Ms Jones got on the front foot. (Supplied: Madeline Jones)
By doing her part this month, Ms Jones is planning on running as many kilometres as possible around the streets of Emerald and the local footy field for the PCFA’s Long Run fundraiser.
“Last year I was the highest fundraiser in Australia with just over $22,000, so I thought this year let’s go for $30,000,” she said.
“But it’s more about raising awareness and making sure if there are sisters, daughters, or partners out there that they check in with their brothers, dads, or partners to make sure they’re getting tested.
“That’s the most important thing for me.”
