Prostate cancer survivors shared their experiences battling against the disease at City Hall yesterday.

Kevin Smith told attendees at the event, the first scheduled for Men’s Health Month, that he found out he had the disease, the most common cancer among men in Bermuda, during a routine doctor’s appointment in 2019.

He said: “I always went to the doctor for anything, so it was good that I went there that time.

“They told me my PSA level was high and told me to come back in a month and they will check it again — it was still high.”

Prostate-Specific Antigens are proteins produced by cells within the prostate gland.

After undergoing 44 rounds of radiation since 2020, Mr Smith is now cancer-free.

He said: “Prostate cancer does not have to mean a death sentence. If it does not spread, it’s treatable. Go get checked and save your life.”

Algernon Busby, who had cancer diagnosed in early 2022, said he has been healthy since his prostate was removed in March.

He told attendees: “It’s a disease that, if caught early, you can do something about it. But if you do not catch it early, there is nothing you can do about it.”

Urging all men to get screened for the disease, Mr Busby added: “That is the only way you will find out if you have it. It is not going to show up in any symptoms.”

Consultant urological surgeon Michael Brooks also stressed the importance of testing at today’s event.

Men often “do not seek preventive screenings or ask for help,” he said.

“Taking charge of your physical, mental and emotional health is the best thing that you can do in your family.”

Dr Brooks operates Dynamic Urology Services, which, with help from Argus, has offered a month-long prostate screening programme for the past three years.

He explained: “I am proud to help in as little a way as I do, but I think it is, for some men, a real issue, and maybe we need to address that a little more systematically.”

Ed Christopher, Hamilton’s town crier, closed the event by reading a proclamation on behalf of the City.

Part of it read: “With the alarming number of our fathers, brothers and sons affected by prostate health challenges, we stress the inevitable value of early detection, consistent awareness and continuous education.

“We encourage and promote the importance of men’s health through continued check-ups screening, especially for prostate health.”

The proclamation concluded: “Let the bell be rung and the voices be raised in spreading this message far and wide as we mark the commencement of a month dedicated to the health and wellbeing of all men on our island.”

• To learn more about the many events scheduled for Men’s Health Month, visitcancer.bm