Tim Weale, now 47, initially attributed the aches he experienced during a four-month family trip across Australia in mid-2023 to his active lifestyle. What he believed were strains from hiking and sleeping on the ground turned out to be early signs of stage four metastatic prostate cancer.
While camping in remote Western Australia, Weale first experienced a sharp pain in his hip, which he dismissed as a result of sleeping on a rock. Weeks later, while reaching for gear on the roof of their caravan near Exmouth, he felt a shooting pain in his shoulder, again attributing it to a muscle strain. These pains persisted intermittently but were largely overlooked as the family continued their travels.
Upon returning to Sydney and resuming his office job, Weale experienced a new pain deep in his pelvis and sitting bones. He reasoned that prolonged sitting was the cause, still confident in his general health and fitness. Despite being a former Army member and maintaining an active lifestyle, the possibility of cancer never crossed his mind, particularly as there was no family history and he was unaware prostate cancer is Australia's most commonly diagnosed cancer.
Everything changed after an intimate moment with his wife when he noticed blood in his semen. This symptom prompted him to see a doctor the following day. Initial assessments suggested a possible infection, and an ultrasound showed a slightly enlarged prostate. After a course of antibiotics and a follow-up prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, the results were alarming.
Weale's PSA level was 64, significantly higher than the typical range of 0.5 to 2 for his age. A repeat test a week later showed the level had increased to 68. These results prompted an urgent referral to a urologist. An MRI scan indicated a near certainty of cancer, and a biopsy confirmed that all 12 tissue samples taken from his prostate contained cancer.
Further scans revealed the disease had spread beyond his prostate to his pelvis, sitting bones, tailbone, spine, ribs, lungs, shoulder blade, and right hip. It was only then that the earlier pains made sense. Doctors diagnosed him with stage four metastatic prostate cancer with a Gleason score of nine. Due to the widespread metastasis, the cancer was deemed incurable.
Treatment began immediately, including radiation therapy for the cancer in his hip and chemotherapy. He also started lifelong androgen deprivation therapy to reduce testosterone, which fuels prostate cancer. Although his current PSA level is undetectable, the treatment has led to challenges such as fatigue and difficulty maintaining muscle mass, requiring him to maintain an intensive two-hour gym routine at least three times a week.
Communicating the diagnosis to his young children and parents was a difficult process. He explained to his six- and eight-year-old children that he would undergo treatment and might not always be himself. Telling his parents about his incurable cancer was particularly hard. The news also prompted some of his friends to get PSA tests.
Weale now works part-time, embracing the role of a "home husband" to spend more time with his children. He advocates for men to seek medical attention for any concerning symptoms and to request PSA tests, emphasizing that early detection can be life-saving. He urges men to overcome the tendency to dismiss symptoms and to discuss their health with friends.