“There is a taboo around prostate cancer, it’s intimate”

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This month of November is special for Stéphane T. On May 17, 2024, his father, Marc, 72 years old, was died of prostate cancer. So the movement Movembera charity event which raises awareness of male cancers like that of the prostate and testicles and raises funds for men's health, moves him a lot.

An intimate cancer

“There is a taboo around prostate cancer, it's intimate. Some men, especially from the older generation, don’t talk about it,” notes Stéphane, who lives in Saint-Étienne-sous-Bailleul, near Vernon.

For his father, he participated in one of the events organized by Freddy Paillard, coach at theBourgtheroulde Chinese Sports and Arts Association et ambassador of the Movember foundation in France.

The martial arts teacher has been organizing events in Eure for Movember for two years. At the beginning of November, Stéphane was at one of them, in Saint-Marcel, with his 11-year-old daughter, Eléane. There was a course of sports activities: basketball, football, crossfit… To be carried out. “We won the trophy, we gave our all. My daughter said: 'It's for grandpa' », smiles Stéphane, with tears in his eyes.

“No one talks about it”

Marc wasn't the type to go to the doctor every four morning. Retired, active, he spent his time in his garden. So when he started having stomach pain and urinary retentionhe kept his worry to himself. “He ended up talking about it to his brothers and brothers-in-law… That's how I learned that almost all of my uncles had been affected by this cancer. Nobody talks about it! » exclaims Stéphane.

Finally, Marc decides to make an appointment with a urologiste: at 70, he had never been to see one. Between health card problems and the specialist's busy schedule, it took the retiree six months to consult. “When the urologist saw him, it was already late. PSA rate [antigène prostatique spécifique] was at 140, although it should not have exceeded 4.”

It’s a massive blow for Marc and his family. Especially when the urologist said that Marc was “six months late in treatment”. “It wasn't just the prostate, metastases had developed throughout the body,” the son recalls. Results: the old man, although so active, had difficulty walkingcould no longer ride his bike. “It’s a vicious cancer, growing rapidly…”

He was no longer sleeping and constantly had to urinate. He went from bed to couch, and from couch to bed.

Radiotherapy, anti-hormonal injections… the treatments follow one another for Marc, who suffers more and more. “He was no longer sleeping, he constantly had to urinate. He went from bed to couch, and from couch to bed. » For the family, it was very hard too. Marc, who was not used to expressing himself and even less to complaining, did not speak out about the ordeal he was going through. “If we didn't ask, he didn't talk about it, and he cut it short. Even to doctors, he didn't tell everything he was going through. »

As Marc no longer had a treating doctor at the start of his cancer, medical follow-up was complicated. To the point that the family, and the patient himself, had difficulty keeping up. “The word 'cancer' was not spoken, we did not understand the level of seriousness of the disease. »

The importance of screening

Eventually, radiotherapy works. The PSA rate drops drastically, hope is reborn. “It was the summer of 2023, we were in the Creuse for the holidays. My father moved around, could cycle again…” remembers Stéphane. The family then thinks that Marc is out of the woods. However, in winter, the disease returns. Worse, the cancer had become widespread. The retiree dies six months laterMay 17, 2024. “He suffered martyrdom. He had pain everywhere, he no longer ate, he could no longer hold back urinating… it was unmanageable for him and for my mother,” Stéphane expresses with difficulty.

Through his testimony, the 52-year-old son wishes above all raise awareness among men about screening. “My father had never taken a test, it surely could have changed everything. » Since this tragedy, Stéphane has had his PSA level tested every year, with a simple blood test. “I speak without taboo about this story so that people do not hesitate to get tested. »

Move for Movember

Stéphane emphasizes the importance of the Movember movement to raise awareness. “What Freddy is doing is great. » Sunday December 1, 2024, Freddy Paillard will organize a new event in Grand Bourgtheroulde “Move for Movember”. A training session martial arts will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 at the Bruno Benedetti gymnasium. On the program: cross training, kunfgu, taijiquan and Chinese boxing. The funds raised will go to the Movember foundation.

To participate in the Move for Movember event on December 1 in Grand Bourgtheroulde, register online https://bit.ly/3THoO1q or on site. Family event.

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