At age 52 and just nearing retirement I was diagnosed with prostate cancer by my urologist.  My PSA markers hit a frightening 72.4 when the normal reading should be below 4.0.  The news devastated me and I brokedown thinking that I would die within a short period of time.  Cancer will kill pretty quickly....not knowing that having prostate cancer was not uncommon amongst men.  I was later told that many men who died of old age may already have developed prostate cancer but the disease did not kill them instead they had die of a heart attack, pneumonia, hypertension or even kidney failure.

Many men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the later part of their lives but they live with it without much problems.  Those are the lucky ones.  Those not so lucky fellows like me catch it at a fairly young age.  Some people think diets that are rich in red meat will increase the chances of prostate cancer.

In Malaysia where I am residing more Chinese men are diagnosed with this disease merely because we consume a fair amount of pork, beef, lamb and in addition we love the taste of wild meat too.  Researchers are unsure if this is true but if we can cut down on our meat consumption it is definitely a plus point.

After consultation with at least three medical doctors, I was relieved to learn that prostate cancer will not kill within a short period of time.

There were lots of research, reading and fact finding going on.  Thanks to my wonderful family members...we had many views, options plus we learned more about his disease and its treatment options.

With this information and the guidance from the Urologist, I was able to make up my mind and opted for an operation which was done by Prof. Dr Cheng from the Singapore General Hospital in January 2005.  He had many successful cases done using the Da Vinci Prostatectomy Minimally Invasive Procedure.  The operation lasted 5 hours but my recovery was indeed very speedy.  My deepest appreciation to Prof Dr Cheng, Dr CS Loh, Dr Ooi Ee Lee and Dr Wong Mei Ling who have shown their concerns, care and their medical assistance during my period of anxiety and desperation.  Thank you all.