Hi my name is Shawn , 53 years old from the south coast of NSW Australia.

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019 and have been on active surveillance ever since. At my most recent biopsy it was discovered that my grade 1 cancer has changed to a high risk grade 5 ( isup5) cancer and need a an urgent Robotic assisted radical prostatectomy scheduled for Feb 5. This keyhole surgery will provide the best possible outcome for me as opposed to open cut surgery. It will give the surgeon the best opportunity to remove the prostate with minimal damage to nerves and allows a quicker recovery times and return to work.

I am a uninsured patient and are faced with a surgical bill of upwards of $35,000 and have already spent over 10,000.00 on my three biopsies.

I’ve been self employed for twenty years whilst holding several casual jobs along the way, many not paying any super. I’ve hold a casual job as a cleaner at my local club for two years whilst still working on my business, working 7 days a week since the fires in 2020 .

One option of how to pay for this procedure is to withdraw from my super.

However i find that I don’t have enough super to cover the bills anyway and any claim put through the tax office to withdraw super on compassionate grounds won’t be considered until after jan 6 2022 with my operation set for Feb9 that’s setting a fine deadline.

So I find myself here, after a friend suggested today, setting up a GoFundme campaign seeking help from family, friends and kindhearted people from around the world to help me get the best possible outcome and become cancer free. Any support you give will be a massive weight off my shoulders and thoroughly appreciated allowing my to focus on the road ahead. Any surplus money raised will be donated to the prostate cancer foundation of Australia.

#prostatecancer #menshealth