The Namibian editor Tangeni Amupadhi’s decision to use his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer to motivate other men to get tested regularly has received support from different quarters.
Most people who listened to Amupadhi sharing his story on Desert Radio’s new programme, ‘The Pulse’, lauded the veteran scribe for his courage and wished him well.
He shared that the news of his diagnosis initially left him in shock and took some time to sink in.
He said his doctor broke the news to him on 1 August this year.
“I won’t forget that day. I was told to come with my wife, but unfortunately Nankelo was not in town,” he said.
When he got to the doctor, he was informed that he has prostate cancer.
Amupadhi said even before his diagnosis, last year already, he wanted a doctor to come on Desert Radio to talk to men about the importance of going for regular prostate cancer screenings.
However, this never materialised.
Amupadhi said he was “shell-shocked” following his diagnosis.
“I believe I have been living a very healthy lifestyle… I love to exercise… I don’t have a family history (of cancer),” Amupadhi said during the interview.
He said a year before his diagnosis, his general practitioner (GP) referred him for prostate test and he went. However, at the time he said his prostate was feeling okay.
“I used to do regular medical check-ups almost every year … but it never really got into my head to ask my GP to look at my prostate. My GP insisted on it when I turned 50. He did it in my early 40s, but nothing was detected,” he said.
Amupadhi highlighted the significance of routine testing.
In November, the global Movember movement encourages men to grow mustaches, supported by women, aiming to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.
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