Life was good. My golf game was churning out creditable scores with frequent regularity, my wife was enjoying her career, my eldest daughter had just scored a job in London, my youngest daughter received a promotion at Sky TV, and I was enjoying semi-retirement.

But at exactly 1.22pm on Thursday 12th January 2023 my world came crashing down with an almighty THUD!!! Happy New Year John!!!

On that fateful day I sat face to face with my Doctor at the Canterbury Urology Department. His comments were earth shattering - “John I have some bad news for you. The recent tests we conducted revealed that you have Grade 2 Prostate Cancer - if you leave it unchecked you have 4-8 years to live. Now the good news is we have detected it early so there are some options.”

Thanks to my annual health check-ups I was able to detect (via my regular blood tests) elevated PSA prostate readings which prompted further tests. Enough said! My doctor then presented me with some options to consider. From that moment on, I became a “man on a mission” obsessed with exploring the range of available treatments. Decisions, decisions.

Fortunately, I had recently seen a TV news item promoting the arrival of some cutting-edge radiation treatment. Auckland Radiation Oncology in Epsom had just purchased some robotic radiation technology called 'CyberKnife'. This piece of technology had been in the USA and UK for about 10 years for patients with Spinal Cancer, Brain Cancer, and Prostate Cancer. The more I researched this option the more convinced I became that this was the treatment I wanted. I immediately saw my GP and insisted he refer me to the relevant radiation oncology specialist. Job done.

After a few consultations, the successful injection of 4 gold seeds into my prostate placed as markers to fence off the cancer, followed by MRI & CT scans to map the dimensions of my prostate, and I was ready to rock and roll. During my 3 week wait for treatment, the radiation hospital technicians were beavering away programming the CyberKnife with my personal data, so it could act with impeccable precision.

On Monday 1st May, I arrived at the Auckland Radiation Oncology Unit ready for the first of 5 x twenty-minute radiation treatments (planned for Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Monday and Wednesday). The treatment theatre resembled a spaceship, and in the corner sat the CyberKnife, motionless. In fact, seeing it for the first time took me back to my viewing of the 'Aliens vs Predator' movie.

The radiation therapists then positioned me to lie flat on my back on the centre table. After correct alignment they were kind enough to ask what sort of background music I liked during treatment. My immediate thought was the theme music to 'Star Wars' but then I relented to easy listening. Next minute they would leave the treatment room for the adjacent Control Room filled with computers and screens. So, there I am lying still, waiting in anticipation, just me and CyberKnife.

The music starts followed by an electronic humming sound. CyberKnife comes to life. The robotic arm then moves with incredible agility and accuracy over me, side to side, even underneath the table in order to zap my prostate from every conceivable angle. There I lay completely mesmerised by the machine’s grace and power. The humming sound ceases after 20 minutes and CyberKnife retires to its corner for another day. On reflection the event seemed like a 20-minute x-ray. I was even able to squeeze in a round of golf on my day off.

By the time you read this message, I will have completed my 5th CyberKnife treatment, after which I will have further blood tests. I plan to maintain the armoury of my annual medical check-ups, so I can try to detect any cancer before it creates havoc. Besides, I now have a new girlfriend in my life. Her name is 'Mrs CyberKnife'. Life’s good.

The other point to note is that CyberKnife is only available privately and is not cheap. Fortunately, I was covered by Health Insurance.”

John, Prostate Cancer, CyberKnife

This testimonial and information contained herein, should not replace advice or treatment recommendations from your registered Health Practitioner, nor should it delay or postpone you seeing your Health Practitioner about a health problem.