Submitted by Peter Holfeuer
Now being two years free of prostate cancer, both my wife Susan and I were once again honoured to be a volunteer member of the 2026 Gimli Ride for Dad support team. This is our third year doing so.
Peter Holfeuer underwent 32 radiation therapy sessions at CancerCare in Winnipeg. Holfeuer is holding a bell that patients get to ring when they finish radiation therapy. He had his last treatment in March 2022
I was like the one in eight men — especially those 50 years or older — who get diagnosed with prostate cancer. And if it’s caught in its early stages, it is curable.
However, I, like many men, also did not recognize the urinary flow changes that were signs of this cancer and simply assumed those changes were due to getting older.
By chance in 2021 when I went to see my doctor to get help for another issue, my doctor also chose to check my PSA level, which gets done through a simple blood test. A higher than normal PSA level can be an indicator that prostate cancer may be at work, and that ended up being my situation.
It was determined I was near Stage 3. Because of that, my two-year cancer treatment journey went into full gear. During that journey, I received incredible support from a good friend who had dealt with his own prostate cancer journey, and from others who willingly drove me to CancerCare in Winnipeg for my 32 radiation therapy sessions.
The point I’m trying to make by openly talking about my personal prostate cancer experience is to, hopefully, encourage some of you men out there to get your PSA level tested on a regular basis.
I just read that 1.2 million men in Canada have prostate cancer and 80 per cent of them don’t know it. That’s a scary situation!
A big shout-out to the entire Ride for Dad support team; your contribution to help fight this cancer is making a big difference.
