Book a PSA test now – it could save your life, says Paul

Paul Fox is a passionate advocate of early PSA testing, and with good reason – without it he’d be dead.

There’s no question about it, says the twice-Master of Vermuyden Lodge in Crowle. He wants his experience to be a spur to every Lincolnshire Freemason who’s not had his PSA tested to book an appointment when the chance arises on the day of our next Provincial meetings on May 13th.

Having urged all the members of his Lodge to get tested Paul thought he should lead from the front, and have the test himself. “But I had no symptoms, so I was confident I didn’t think I had a problem,” he said. “I just wanted to lead by example.” That was why it came as a shock to discover  that he had prostate cancer. What’s more, it was in a particularly aggressive form and needed urgent surgery. “If I’d left it any longer, even for a few months, it would have become untreatable,” he added.

That was two years ago, since when he’s been talking about his experiences to other Freemasons in Lincolnshire and beyond. One of the latest calls came from Cardiff. “Men need to know about prostate cancer and the risks associated with it, and to do something about it. I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t. Do they think there’s no risk because the Government has decided not to have a national screening programme? Are they bothered that testing might involve an intimate examination? There is a risk – prostate cancer is one of the largest causes of cancer deaths in men. And there is no imitate examination. It’s a simple blood test.”

Paul will be at the Provincial meetings to talk about his experiences, alongside representatives of Prostate Cancer Lincs and Humber, a support group championed by a Freemason who had his prostate removed almost 20 years ago, and is still going strong in his mid-eighties. The group was started by yet another Lincolnshire member who died because his cancer wasn’t diagnosed early enough. Says Paul: “That fact alone should tell you all you need to know about the need for early diagnosis. Quite simply, I’m alive because I was diagnosed early; he’s dead because he wasn’t.”

How to book your test
All the necessary details are in the poster below (including three ‘must’ items)
Anyone over 40 is advised to get tested
You must make an appointment
It’s a simple blood test
You’ll be advised of the results within 48 hours (but often sooner) on a traffic light system. Green means all clear; amber means more monitoring is suggested; red means talk to your GP promptly
CHAPS, the charity doing the testing, can’t organise treatment. You must take that up with your GP
You don’t have to attend the Provincial Grand Chapter or Provincial Grand Lodge meetings to have a test
Testing is funded by the Province

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