Graham Hatch has been a part of Vancouver’s radio broadcast environment for, well, quite a long time. He continues to ply his craft on-air at the Shore 104.3 FM, each weekday early morning. He is a vigorous, in-shape early 50s man, though in all honesty he does not look his age. But over the past couple of years, he has certainly learned how to act it: Mr. Hatch was diagnosed with prostate cancer, thankfully in the early stages, and his story of survival is one he likes to share. “The disease runs in my family; my dad had it, my grandfather, an uncle. So as I neared 50, I began the checkups. I missed one year, and when I went to the doctor, they found a little something. Biopsy confirmed it. Surgery followed soon after.”
He pauses, and notes his enthusiasm for the Movember prostate cancer awareness campaign: “I found that as soon as people knew what I had, they came right out of the woodwork, to help, to share experiences, give bits of helpful advice. It was phenomenal. So now, I use my Facebook page, and my job, to raise awareness. The surgeon who worked on me was Dr. Larry Goldenberg, and he said early on, ‘This is not a grandpa’s disease anymore’. So what I try to do is encourage men to have regular checkups, and to understand that this disease can be beaten. But you can’t just ignore it.” So take it from a youthful survivor: be proactive about your own prostate health. As Hatch says on his Facebook page, “Don’t fear the finger. A simple prostate exam can save your life.” It’s the manly thing to do.
