Spreading the word on prostate cancer

By Anthony Bonaparte

Winston McQuade is a communicator. The Quebec City native, now 66, studied fine art before finding his way into the world of media. Until he retired eight years ago, he spent 30 years at Radio Canada covering sports and culture. Since then, the Villeray resident served as president of the Quebec Tennis Federation, and as house announcer at Jarry Tennis Stadium.

Life is good. But almost 10 years ago, it didn’t seem so for McQuade.

At the age of 57, tiny bumps were found on his prostate gland. He had started including prostate examinations and PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood tests in his annual physicals several years earlier and this was the first sign of any trouble.

“I got sampled at Notre Dame Hospital and it was discovered that there was cancer on the prostate,” says McQuade, who was then presented with a choice of options: radiotherapy, hormonal therapy or prostatectomy — the removal of the gland.

“Since they identified the cancer at an early stage, a good option was to remove the prostate,” says McQuade, adding that there was the potential for an unpleasant side effect. “It might affect the nerves that are responsible for erectile function.”

McQuade says he was devastated. “Once they’ve sampled the prostate and you’re told that you have cancer, it’s like the end of the world just happened,” he remembers. “It’s like an iron curtain coming down in front of your eyes. In your mind, you’re absolutely certain that you’re going to die from it.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men, after non-melanoma skin cancer. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, one in seven men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime — the risk is highest after age 60. One in 27 will die of it, but since its growth is usually slow, it can often be cured or managed successfully.The prostate produces part of the seminal fluid that mixes with sperm from the testicles to make semen. Some side effects from treatments, such as incontinence, impotence and infertility, can be long-lasting or permanent.

Since McQuade’s grandfather died from the same disease at the age of 76, he says he was not that surprised that he might eventually be diagnosed. But that didn’t make it any easier to take. “At 57, I didn’t feel like I wanted to be in a situation where my sexuality would be in question.”

The first thing he did was take a walk with his girlfriend. “We were just holding each other and I was crying. I was really, really affected by the fact that I had cancer.”

But being in a relationship with a loving partner brought some solace. “That is a very important aspect of going through something like this,” he says. “If you have someone in your life, it’s easier. If you don’t, you need to find resources within yourself.”

After his operation, McQuade was fitted with an incontinence bag for a couple of weeks, and wondered when and if he would return to normal. “You don’t know if the operation was successful as far as erectile dysfunction is concerned. The doctor tells you that it’s going to take three to four months before you get any kind of signal, which means one morning you wake up and you have an erection.”

McQuade says those few months were filled with uncertainty. “Every time you go to bed you wonder if you’re going to wake up with an erection. It sort of plays games with your mind because you go into that space where if you don’t have it you wonder if it’s emotional, psychological or physical. There’s that pressure and all of a sudden you wake up and its there.”

When that first one finally did arrive, he says it wasn’t as it could be, but improved with time. “That’s where it’s important to have an understanding partner, because she also needs to be patient about the situation.”

One thing McQuade says he was not aware of, and wishes he were, is that once the prostate is removed, ejaculate is no longer formed. “You have orgasms, but a dry orgasm.”

As time went on, his sexuality improved. But in 2005, the cancer was back and McQuade was told that he now had to go into radiotherapy. “The cancer that was contained in the prostate was out, but in the peripheral area of the prostate, there was cancer and it went ahead and grew.”

After 32 daily sessions of radiotherapy at the Montreal General Hospital, McQuade is again cancer-free. He has a PSA follow-up every six months to make sure.

To help with his sex life, his doctor suggested a therapy used in Europe — taking small five milligram doses of a particular erectile dysfunction medication on a daily basis. “That’s been very successful,” says McQuade. “It enables me to perform — not like when I was 35 or 45 — but I perform.”

He’s also done his homework and consulted the right specialists. “People should be made aware that it’s important to be out there and get information. Do something about it and help yourself,” says McQuade. “Of course, the partner is an essential part of the process, but people who go through this type of experience just can’t sit and wait and not be proactive.”

McQuade says he decided to tell his story because prevention and understanding are important. “That’s the reason I do it. I try to put the point across that it’s at 40 that you should start doing it, and not at 50. The earlier the better.”

And he’s telling his story openly and out loud. McQuade, along with local media personality Jean Pagé, spoke about their battle during the CHUM’s (Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal) Prostate Cancer Awareness Days that took place in late September at Complexe Desjardins.

He also decided to speak out because his popularity in French Quebec might help get the message out.

“Using that to reach people and put the message across, to me, that’s something I find worthwhile doing — because it can save lives.”
anthony@thesuburban.com