Grandfather, 69, noticed blood in his urine previous to deadly most cancers prognosis
“This didn’t really happen often, unless it was a significant event like someone in the immediate family was pregnant or getting married or undertaking a major career change.
“Something about this time felt different, a much more sombre approach, which left me with a feeling of angst in the pit of my stomach but I was hopeful it wasn’t bad news.
“Then dad mentioned the dreaded word, ‘cancer’, which was diagnosed following investigation from symptoms he had.
“It was stage four advanced and aggressive prostate cancer with no cure. The diagnosis sounded so final. I couldn’t believe it, none of us could.
“Life completely changed very quickly for all of us after that day.”
Despite remedy, Nnamdi’s situation deteriorated over time.
“Towards his second year after diagnosis, we started to see increased side effects and eventually ineffectiveness in the control and spread of the cancer,” Emeka stated.
“Over the next two years we saw a constant battle with progressively worse side effects from new treatments or cancer growth and spread which left dad needing regular blood transfusions, frequently fighting infections and sepsis, being in constant excruciating pain, experiencing delirium, extreme mood swings and eventually being bed bound and unable to do basic tasks such as eating or going to the bathroom without assistance.
“It was heartbreaking to see dad who was once so strong, now fully dependent on others and in constant pain.”
In December 2019, Nnamdi was admitted to hospital the place he spent his fortieth wedding ceremony anniversary, Christmas and New Year.
A month later he opted to come back house, the place he obtained around the clock palliative finish of life care.
Emeka stated: “During the following months, a third grandchild was born in February 2020 who dad managed to meet on a couple occasions and by March 2020, the COVID-19 lockdown began.
“I never saw my dad again other than on video calls, until he eventually passed away peacefully in May 2020, a month before his 70th birthday.”
In honour of this dad, Emeka now raises consciousness of the illness together with his two sisters by means of an organisation referred to as Prostate Cancer Black Men (PCBM).
According to Prostate Cancer UK, one in 4 black males will get prostate most cancers of their lifetime whereas different males have a one in eight probability.
“We work with other aligned organisations in the community, as well as having worked with organisations and charities such as Prostate Cancer UK, Cancer Research UK and Stand Up to Cancer, to help spread awareness of the increased prostate cancer risk to the black community,” Emeka added.
“We hope that more people can be better informed and equipped to understand their risk and take effective and proactive action to hopefully save lives.”
Prostate most cancers doesn’t at all times current with signs within the early levels.
Symptoms don’t normally seem till the prostate is enlarged sufficient to have an effect on the urethra, inflicting:
- Needing to urinate extra incessantly, usually through the night time
- Needing to hurry to the bathroom
- Difficulty in beginning to urinate (hesitancy)
- Straining or taking a very long time whereas urinating
- Weak circulation
- Feeling that your bladder has not emptied totally
- Blood in urine or blood in semen.
If you expertise signs of prostate most cancers you must converse to your GP.
To calculate your threat of the illness you need to use Prostate Cancer UK’s 30 second on-line threat checker at prostatecanceruk.org/riskcheck.
The tracker comes as a part of a brand new initiative to assist males higher perceive the illness, as research confirmed on 35 p.c of males realised early-stage prostate most cancers usually has no signs.