Prost! a Proud Part of the Subiaco Community

This Men’s Health Week Subiaco F.C. have partnered with PCFA to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer. A cause close to our hearts after a long relationship with Prost! We were lucky enough to have interviewed some of the members and are proud to share their stories and experiences. 

Prost is a non-profit organization that is focused on exercise that is helpful for men who have or had prostate cancer.  Their three main goals are muscle, mateship, and mood which are the foundation for Prost's mission to educate, inspire and support men in their experiences with prostate cancer, chronic pelvic pain, incontinence and sexual health disorders through high-quality clinical care, continuing research, community outreach and tailored evidence-based group exercise physiotherapy programs. As a partner of Subiaco, members of Prost can use our gym twice a week. With 49 Australians diagnosed each day with prostate cancer, we hope to spread the word about how important it is to get a prostate exam regularly once you reach the age of 40. 

1 in 4 Australian men is diagnosed with prostate cancer there is a need for organisations like Prost to provide support to others who share their same journeys. When talking to Ian Simmonds the President of Prost! stated, “Prost provides a space where men are benefited by exercising and mental well-being with the ability to meet people with a common experience that they can talk about especially new members who may not have found that bonding yet.” He then discussed some of the problems that face men after surgery for prostate cancer; “the main issues that people face is erectile dysfunction, incontinence and one that is not discussed as much is mental health.” These effects of prostate cancer can lead men to have increased anxiety and depression.

Mental health may be one of the most important topics to talk about with men as many do not feel comfortable discussing their prostate cancer with others. At Prost, this is the exact type of stigma that they hope to get rid of in younger men, to get them talking about their health in general and to be able to understand that they are not alone in the fight. Another member of the Prost team talked with us about how the mental aspect is not as publicized as it should be and that “when we hand out flyers in shopping centres to give out more information, we give out more flyers to women than men because men may be embarrassed to take one if someone sees them.” This statement shows how overall we need to work to destigmatize this disease and make sure that people are not afraid to ask for help when they need it the most.

When discussing how the men who are in Prost about the benefit of supporting the word, they used the most to describe their group was “comradery”. This is the ability to share similar and different experiences throughout their journeys while dealing with prostate cancer. Knowing that the men you are with have all been through some form of dealing with the disease helps form that special bond between all the members. This bond has helped them become a tightly knitted group where they know that they can be themselves in a judgement-free zone. 

While discussing their own firsthand experiences with the members, they all shared one thing in common they wanted to spread the information about prostate cancer to as many people as possible. When asked “If you could tell yourself one thing when you were 20 about prostate cancer what would it be?” the overwhelming answer from all the members was to “get a PSA test when you turn 40 years old!” This is one of the most important points to take away from our talk with Prost as this is not a required checkup for men when they get older. This in turn leads to fewer men who find out about their situation when it is already has developed and gotten worse. 

In terms of trying to spread awareness Prost is continuing to expand to join with other organizations for men to be able to use different gyms for exercise sessions. Prost is always looking to spread the word through the events that they have throughout the year and through local news.  On their website they offer information about support groups, specialized nurses, neurologists, and doctors, they also have support lines if you ever wanted to just talk to someone about prostate cancer. They also encourage people to support prostate cancer awareness by attending events that are held by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia that help raise money for research towards the cause. 

As a final message from a Prost member was “make sure that you have people who care about you along this journey because it is a hard journey, I am glad to have the support of Prost and I am just happy to still be here.” This quote continues to emphasize the importance of having support from loved ones and the comradery that all the members of Prost have together that has been able to help them improve their lives for the better.  Subiaco strives to continue to support the members of Prost throughout Men’s Health week and until we beat this demoralizing disease that has affected so many families. 
To hear more about our involvement with Prostate Cancer support, click here!