Prostate cancer discovery leads to tests for choir members

Choir member Dave Crabb, 62, found out he had prostate cancer nearly five years ago after a friend urged him to get tested.  

“I had a prostatectomy [surgery to remove the cancer],” he said.   

“I get tested every six months now and there’s negligible trace.

“The recovery rate is incredible, but men just don’t get tested.

“I’ve seen two of my youth rugby boys, got them tested and they’ve both come back saying ‘Dai we’ve got it. If we hadn’t met you we probably wouldn’t have known about it, and it’s just luck of the draw’.”

Colin Williams, 64, sends out regular WhatsApp reminders to make sure other choir members consider getting themselves tested and provide support for each other if needed  

“We call the choir the man club anyway, it’s the best man club you’ll ever join,” he said.

“Because of the time we spend together we trust each other and we help each other out a lot.

“It is a man club so it’s easy to talk to each other about anything. There’s no taboo subjects for the boys in the choir.”

Tests are under way to establish the effectiveness of groups discussing their health through chat groups such as WhatsApp.