At his annual physical in March 2020, Paul Baxter expected the usual clean bill of health. His PSA (prostate-specific antigen) score was low and nothing in his day-to-day life suggested anything was wrong. But when his doctor performed a digital rectal exam, they felt a palpable lump. Paul was referred to urologist Dr Duffy at the Prostate Cancer Centre and in early May he had a biopsy. He still did not think much of it. He had no symptoms and no family history of prostate cancer. When the biopsy came back positive, with a Gleason score of 7, the news was a shock, even though his cancer had been caught early.
After talking through his options, Paul decided to have surgery. He underwent a prostatectomy in July 2020. He spent three days in hospital, then returned home with a catheter that stayed in place for three weeks. A nurse from the Prostate Cancer Centre removed it, another moment where he felt grateful for specialized care close to home. Paul also chose to participate in a clinical trial with the Prostate Cancer Centre research team, hoping that by contributing his data and experience he could help improve care for future patients.
The physical side of recovery was only part of the story. Emotionally, Paul found the early weeks after surgery very difficult. One of the most frustrating side effects was the loss of bladder control. Simple daily tasks suddenly felt overwhelming and unpredictable. Paul remembers nights of worry and days of irritation as he adjusted to using pads and planning his outings around washrooms. “I thought, how long is this going to go on for?” he says.
Slowly, things began to improve. Over the following months his strength returned, and his bladder control steadily got better. By the end of November, he felt like himself again. Looking back, he has no doubt he made the right decision. “Surgery was worth it for me,” Paul says. “You can go through a lot, but to know you’re alive and you kicked this thing, it’s worth it.”
Because his diagnosis and treatment happened during the height of the COVID pandemic, Paul was not able to attend in-person support groups. Instead, he connected with peer support and information sessions online through Zoom. One of the most valuable resources was the RAC (Rapid Access Clinic) 2 at the Prostate Cancer Centre, which he joined soon after his diagnosis. There he learned more about different treatment options and could hear from other men who were going through a diagnosis at the same time, listening to their questions as well as his own. His wife also participated in RAC 2, listening in so she could better understand Paul’s options and how to support him. After surgery, nursing staff from the Prostate Cancer Centre continued to check in with follow up calls, right up until 2024, making sure his recovery was on track and answering any questions that came up.
Today, Paul is passionate about encouraging others to be proactive about their health. “I tell anyone I can over 40, go and get a check-up, get checked,” he says. He stresses that while a PSA blood test is an important tool, it is not enough on its own. “Don’t rely on a PSA as the be-all end-all, at some stage when getting a yearly physical, do the digital test just incase”. His own cancer was found because of that physical exam. Without it, he knows his story could have been very different.
One summer, a few years after surgery, Paul and his wife were camping when they met a couple from Quebec. As they chatted, Paul discovered that the other man had also undergone a prostatectomy at around the same time as him. Both were now two years post surgery. “It was great to meet someone who had the same experience, we talked for a couple of hours about our treatment and recovery,” Paul says. That unexpected connection around a campfire reminded him that there is a quiet community of survivors everywhere, each with their own challenges and victories, all linked by the same determination to get checked, get treated, and keep living their lives.