Stark warning from Gate Pa man dying of prostate cancer

Bruno Weidmann is about to die. But the Gate Pa man says it's not too late for other men to spare themselves the terrible and often tragic ordeal of prostate cancer.
Mr Weidmann, 64, is riddled with cancer that has spread into his entire skeleton from his prostate, which he calls "a ticking time bomb" and is attached to the bottom of the male bladder.
He admits he knew nothing of it until 2007, when he first started showing symptoms of the deadly disease.
"I was having a real pain while urinating. It felt like I was piddling razor blades or bloody barbed wire, and I thought, 'jeez, something's wrong here'."
His GP suspected a bladder infection and ordered a round of tests, including a check on prostate levels.
"Back then, there was no awareness or advertising telling men to get their prostate checked but there was with breast screening and cervical cancer for women. So I went down and got my prostate checked. What's a prostate? I didn't know."
Mr Weidmann had spent his life working in an assortment of jobs, including eight years as an Air Force engineer, 19 years as a commercial fisherman, another eight years as a computer engineer and seven years as a ice manufacturer for the commercial fishing fleet, without having caught as much as a cold.
Yet his biopsy results revealed his levels of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) - a protein produced by prostate gland cells used to detect disease - were 63.5, high above the normal count of zero to four.
"Shortly after, it climbed to 89, and then to 139. 'Vicious, rampant, prostate cancer' was how they described it. I was pissed off and very angry with my GP for not having told me what I now know about prostate cancer."
His immune system soon started to collapse as he started taking medication.
"I got shingles and open wounds on my hands and feet, which was bloody sore. My body was a mess. The next step was hormone treatment and they started getting rid of all of my testosterone, which is what prostate cancer feeds on."
The results looked promising at first - his PSA levels plummeted from 135 to 2.4 - but a diagram of his body, dotted with ugly spots denoting cancer, confirmed that it was too late to contain the disease to his prostate.
"It had gone all over, into my ribs, my spine, my pelvis ... holy Moses, it was too late."
In October 2009, he found his PSA levels had shot back up to 170.
"That was the last PSA test I had done. After that it was just pointless."
Mr Weidmann thought there was also little point in undergoing radiotherapy but was told his spine would collapse if he didn't.
"I therefore had radiotherapy treatment for a number of weeks but it soon became unrealistic to continue. The last resort treatment that I'm getting now is a two-and-a-half hour infusion every month which eases the pain a little bit and may buy me a few more months of life."
He now takes around 22 pills each day, finds it difficult to concentrate and surfaces from his bed between 2pm and 7pm.
"I get a dry mouth at night and in the mornings, it's absolutely horrible and it's hard to describe what it's like. Even water can't help it. I have hot flushes and I wake up with my pillows and sheets soaking wet.
"The whole thing has been indescribably terrible and I'd hate for anyone to be in my shoes. I say to myself, I wish I was normal, but then I know that's not going to happen.
"I've got a daughter turning 21, I've got a father who's 88 with a heart condition, and I'm only 65 this year. You'd think that I'm too young to die. But I'm not scared about it. I've had three-and-a-half years to get used to it.
"Because of my condition, I'm gutted that I'm going to be leaving my dear loved ones behind, including my partner of four years standing. It is only through my strength supporting her that I'm still mentally able to stand this."
Mr Weidmann hopes his story will inspire other men to request a prostate check as soon as possible.
"What I'd like to get out to other men is, be aware of what prostate is - because you've got a right to know. I wouldn't like anyone to go through what I've been through, or what I've still got to go through. It's going to be very, very unpleasant."
By the numbers
About 2500 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in New Zealand each year.
On average, one in 10 New Zealand men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.
About 600 New Zealand men die of prostate cancer each year.
Men who develop prostate cancer are mostly over the age of 65. It rarely occurs in men younger than 55. About one in 13 men will develop prostate cancer before the age of 75. In very elderly men, prostate cancer often grows very slowly and may cause no symptoms.
Who can I call?
A Tauranga support group for men with prostate cancer meets regularly. To register with the Tauranga group, contact Kareen and John Sutcliffe either by phoning (07) 542 4177 or 0272 618 450, or emailing kareen.john@clear.net.nz.
People can also find further information on the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand's website, www.prostate.org.nz.