Penile cancer survivor Wayne Earle was once ashamed to share his story, but now he’s telling the world.
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The 49-year-old noticed a small lesion on the base of his penis in August 2013, however was told by a specialist it was a genital wart and prescribed a wart removal cream.
In April 2014, after several further visits to the doctor due to the lesion’s continued growth, the father-of-three was diagnosed with penile cancer.
He underwent a penectomy – the amputation of the penis at the base – and his urinary tract was moved to allow him to urinate through an incision between his anus and his testicles.
‘’It’s safe to say in that moment I felt as if every part of the being that made me a man was stripped of me. To this day I’m still embarrassed to go to the bathroom,’’ Mr Earle, a Wollondilly resident, said.
To help others in similar situations he’s set up a non-profit organisation, checkyourtackle, which focuses on male cancers such as penile, testicular, anal and breast cancer.
The aim is to give other men and their families access to vital information that could just save their lives – and to stop the stigma surrounding these ‘silent killers’.
As part of that, an awareness day will be held at Bunnings Wollongong on Saturday June 17, from 10am to 3pm, during Men’s Health Week.
Mr Earle said some men’s cancers went undiagnosed, treated or discussed due to lack of information, support and stigma.
‘’When I was diagnosed I couldn’t find a support network or information from different organisations, even on Dr Google,’’ he said.
‘’For 12 months I went through a dark spot – I felt alone as there was no-one I could talk to, no-one who could understand what I was going through.
‘’So the aim of our support network is to let other guys know they’re not alone, to give them information and help remove the stigma.’’
His group now has around 100 members from Australia and across the globe.
The Mercury will be running a range of articles over Men’s Health Week from June 12-18 to shine a light on men’s issues.
Wollongong GP urges men to speak up
Wollongong GP Dr Karmveer Hyare said Men’s Health Week was a good time to encourage men to adopt healthy lifestyles and get regular check-ups.
‘’The vast majority of our patients are women and children,’’ he said. ‘’I think it’s partly because many men have a ‘let’s just wait and see if this gets better’ mentality.
‘’Also I think that while women from an early age are used to getting regular screenings – including pap smears and breast checks – men don’t have that same system of periodic screening.
‘’Mostly when we see men, they tell us: ‘My wife told me to come’.’’
Dr Hyare said while there was evidence of a generational change with more younger men making regular appointments, all men needed to get a regular GP.
‘’They need to be more comfortable talking to a doctor about their physical and mental health,’’ he said.