BLUE SEPTEMBER NEWS

Mark Holden’s prostate check on The Circle

Last Updated: Wednesday 15th of September 2010 at 12:31:19 PM

CLICK HERE TO SEE INTERVIEW VIDEO 

Mark Holden appeared on Network Ten’s The Circle today, taking the ladies on the couch through his recent prostate check and his battle earlier this year with thyroid cancer. The former pop sensation turned barrister appeared as an ambassador for Blue September, even having his face painted very enthusiastically by hosts Yumi Stynes and Liz Ellis.

On the show, Mark spoke with Yumi and Liz about losing his father and also a best friend to prostate cancer, and the added difficulty that comes from knowing that if they had been more vigilant, the disease could have been caught early for a very different outcome.

The focus of the segment was a prostate check filmed earlier in the week, which Mark was generous enough to have specially and sensitively filmed in order to help demystify the often misunderstood process (click here to see the full video). Mark, using the example of his own experience with cancer, highlighted the positive that men of his generation have learnt from the mistakes of their fathers and now know the importance of a yearly health checkup.

Mark was put through a comprehensive range of tests as part of the segment, all to encourage men to make September, or Father’s Day particularly, the time of the year to schedule a health check, adding that there could be no better motivation than family to get a check up for cancer that ‘one way or another you will eventually find out about’.

Mark also provided an insight into the multifaceted challenges of cancer, speaking briefly about the potential financial effects of the disease – a worry that can now be mitigated by initiatives such as Cancer Care.

Finally, Mark went through some steps that men can take to protect themselves from cancer, while Yumi and Liz took the opportunity to get into the spirit of Blue September and slop some blue paint on Mark’s face.

It’s all part of Blue September, a national awareness and fundraising campaign encouraging people to ‘face up to men’s cancers’. The goal is to raise funds for cancer research, as well as helping men reduce the risk of cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices.

Each year 22,000 Australian men are expected to die of cancer, with 1 in 2 Australian men being diagnosed with cancer at some stage of their life by age 85.

Blue September supports The Australian Cancer Research Foundation and Bowel Cancer Australia.

Click here to see the Mark Holden interview on The Circle, or here to see Mark’s full prostate and health check.