To think, contracting a mild eye infection from his granddaughter would become the catalyst for Jim Whittaker's cancer journey ... it's still a narrative the "fit as a fiddle" grandfather tries to get his head around.
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"It lead me to the doctor and she saved my life, really," Mr Whittaker said.
"You look back on these things and think 'that was a bullet I dodged'."
After discovering his granddaughter, little Willow Whittaker, had passed on a case of conjunctivitis to her 'Opi' back in 2019, Mr Whittaker from Orange, in NSW, made an appointment with his local GP.
Merely wanting a script to clear his infection, Dr Joe McRae had apparently tabled some routine testing, after not seeing his patient for some time.
"He said I haven't seen you in five-years, Jim - so, while you're here, let's organise to get your bloods done," Mr Whittaker said.
"I said no, no, I don't need any of that. I'm perfectly healthy, fit as a fiddle - I just need those eye drops."
Insisting on it, a reluctant Mr Whittaker went to pathology for bloodwork, which included testing for Prostate-Specific Antigen [PSA] levels.
It lead me to the doctor and she saved my life, really.
- Jim Whittaker on how Willow's eye infection unfolded cancer discovery
With the lab in receipt of alarming indicators, Mr Whittaker said he received a phone call the same evening.
"My doctor rang back that night and said 'Jim, I need to see you first thing in the morning'," he said.
"You've got a very elevated PSA result here, he said, and we need to do additional examination."
Two internal exams, a specialist urologist appointment, a MRI, a biopsy and some PET scans later, Mr Whittaker received news about his health that had never crossed his mind before.
With aggressive figures ranking in the highest category, he was diagnosed with level five prostate cancer.
"It was a bit of a shock - going from feeling perfectly healthy, to being told I'm an inch away from a life-threatening cancer and having to process that," he said.
"To be confronted with all of that ... it took me years, I'll tell you. I guess I felt very, not angry, but upset - because I kept thinking 'why is this happening to me?'"
Undergoing surgery at Dudley Private Hospital, Mr Whittaker said he "was very lucky" that operating specialists didn't discover any additional cancer cells.
Miraculously, this indicated that the aggressive cancer had not spread to other parts of his body - which would have significantly lowered his chance of survival, even further.
"When I first got diagnosed, I still kept telling myself 'there's nothing wrong with me' - but, deep down, I knew that if I didn't do anything ... in my case, I was going to die," he said.
"They declared that the cancer was still encapsulated, so I was very lucky in that I didn't need radiation [therapy].
... the specialist said 'another six months and we would've been having a totally different conversation'.
- Jim Whittaker on post-operative discussion
"After the operation, though, the specialist said 'another six months and we would've been having a totally different conversation'.
"And it was, it was frightening to hear that."
Following stages of recovery, medical support and the help of his "lovely wife through all of this, of course", he gradually entered remission.
Now - healthy and three-years down the track - the cancer-free 67-year-old has the pleasure of focusing his energies on his family.
"I've just got the two [grandkids], but that's so I can dote on them excessively," he said.
"Of course, I also fill them up on red cordial before I send them back."
With his battle won, Mr Whittaker said what was formerly "the unknown world of cancer", is certainly not a realm he's unfamiliar with anymore.
While reflecting on the early stages of his journey, he said he also felt lucky to have the support of a close mate, who was in the same boat.
At the time, barely able to get his "head around" the cancer diagnosis, his buddy from Horsham helped him sort through piles of information - both literally and figuratively.
Until only recently, though, the battle down in Victoria was sadly lost.
I've just got the two [grandkids], but that's so I can dote on them excessively.
- Orange's Jim Whittaker, 'Opi' and cancer survivor
"I went with surgery and I was lucky, but my mate went the other way with the beads [permanent seed brachytherapy] and he lost his fight three-months ago," Mr Whittaker said.
"While he was in hospital, two-weeks before he passed, I made a promise to him about doing something to promote prostate awareness.
"So, I got a hold of the local support group here, because that was my promise to my dying mate."
The catalyst for his latest motivation, Mr Whittaker made contact with Orange Prostate Cancer Support Group.
September is officially Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and the group will hold an information stand at Bunnings Warehouse on Saturday, September 10.
The group hopes to boost awareness about monitoring for the cancer, reaching out to men who could potentially be at risk.
"It's just a blood sample - it's not too invasive and at least then they can monitor your PSA levels, because you just never know," Mr Whittaker said.
"The thing about prostate cancer is, until you've had it, you really don't know anything about it - you can have absolutely no symptoms and yet, be a smidgen away from a life-altering diagnosis.
"Lucky for me, I've still got a bit of life left."
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