‘Cancer has changed how I view life and relationships’

Kevin Morley first noticed something was wrong when he began using the bathroom more often in September 2023. He also passed only a small amount of urine each time, prompting him to make an appointment with his doctor.

Prostate cancer was initially dismissed, but a later PSA test returned positive. Morley, now 56, received the diagnosis in February 2024, just days after his father died and before his burial. “Although it was a big shock, it wasn’t such a surprise,” he says.

After an in-person consultation with his wife Erin, doctors recommended radiation. Morley took tablets for three months to prepare for treatment, then began 39 rounds at St Luke’s Oncology unit in St James’s Hospital in June 2024.

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In September 2023, I first noticed that I was having to use the bathroom a lot more than I used to.

He told his family soon after the diagnosis. His three daughters were worried, but Morley says the family’s openness helped them cope. He also continued working every day to keep life as normal as possible.

The treatment ran from Monday to Friday and ended on September 13. Morley says the hardest part involved arriving with a full bladder before each session. He reported no sickness or other side effects and now advises people recently diagnosed with prostate cancer to try to remain positive.

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Although it was a big shock, it wasn’t such a surprise.