229: Stage 4 at 42: Will McDonald’s Prostate Cancer Story, Diagnosis, ADT, Ironman and Life Beyond Cancer

Episode Overview:  In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa sits down with Will McDonald, Channel 9 news reporter, PCFA ambassador, Ironman finisher, skydiver and father, for a candid and inspiring conversation.    Will was 42 when he was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer that had metastasised to his hip. He was fit, active and had no urinary symptoms whatsoever. The first sign anything was wrong was a nagging pain in his left hip that simply never got better. Six weeks later an MRI revealed lesions that were almost certainly cancerous, and his PSA, when it was finally tested, confirmed prostate cancer as the source.  What followed was hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation to his prostate, lymph nodes and hip, and the beginning of a very different kind of life. Six years on, Will’s PSA remains undetectable. He is still on androgen deprivation therapy, taking medication twice daily alongside a three-monthly injection. He describes the treatment honestly. He dislikes it, it changes your body, and there are days when it is genuinely hard. But he has found that resistance training, diet, mindset and refusing to make cancer the centre of his identity has made an enormous difference.  The episode also covers Will’s decision to bank sperm before treatment, the five rounds of IVF he and his partner went through, and the arrival of their son Alfie in 2023. And then there is the Ironman: a 3.8km swim, a 180km ride and a 42km run, completed on ADT to raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, because sometimes the best answer to cancer is to go and do the hardest thing you can think of.  This is a conversation about prostate cancer, yes, but it is also about identity, resilience, fatherhood, fear, gratitude and what it really means to keep living.    Golden Tip: Prostate cancer is often entirely silent. Will had no urinary symptoms, no sexual dysfunction, nothing. His cancer was found in his bones first. Do not wait for a symptom to get a PSA test.     In This Episode, We Cover  Prostate cancer is often completely silent — screening matters even without symptoms  Why family history is a critical risk factor, and why sons and brothers of affected men should start screening from 40  The case for a national PSA screening program, and why early diagnosis changes outcomes  Long-term hormone therapy (ADT) causes fatigue, weight and body changes, and emotional shifts — resistance training is one of the most effective counter-measures  Exercise as medicine: how targeted resistance training can ease treatment side effects and may help slow disease progression  Fertility preservation and IVF are important conversations to have early in a cancer diagnosis, before treatment begins  Partners of cancer patients need their own support, not just a supporting role  Advanced or metastatic prostate cancer doesn't have to mean the end of an active, meaningful life    Key Message from Will  His message is simple. Do not let fear of what might happen stop you from living. You cannot control the buses. You can control what you do with the time you have.  Resources & Links  Will McDonald, PCFA ambassador https://www.pcfa.org.au/news-media/news/cancer-champion-takes-on-cairns-ironman-for-charity/   Book a telehealth consult with one of our sexual health nurse practitioners at Restorative Health Clinic  For more information check out our websites www.rshealth.com.au , www.makehardeasy.com.au and www.melissahadleybarrett.com  Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia https://www.pcfa.org.au/  PCFA specialist prostate cancer nurses https://www.pcfa.org.au/support/prostate-cancer-specialist-nurses/    For more information visit our websites:  www.rshealth.com.au  www.makehardeasy.com.au  www.melissahadleybarrett.com    Need Support?  At Restorative Health Clinic, we support men and their partners with:  Penile rehabilitation after prostate cancer treatment  Erectile dysfunction