“I used to always get my bloods done, and then obviously Covid came along and I hadn’t had them done in two or three years. I had no signs or symptoms, but there was something in the back of my head to make a conscious decision get tested,” says Jonathan. “I went to the local GP and met with the nurse. She asked me if I’d ever had the PSA done before. At the time I didn’t even know what it was. She said it was a case of just taking an extra blood sample, and I had no problem with that.”

When his results came back, they showed that Jonathan’s PSA levels were three times higher than they should be. He was advised to come back in two to three months for another test. The results this time showed his PSA levels were even higher.

In February 2022, Jonathan was referred to a urologist in Dublin. He underwent an MRI scan and a biopsy. When the results came back, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was scheduled for surgery in April, followed by further tests.

He saw the ripple effect of his diagnosis among his friends and wider circle of acquaintances.

“When I’m talking to people and they’re hearing the story, they’re all jumping on the phone straight away to get their bloods done. A lot of my friends have since gotten tested,” he says.

“I want to get the message out there that men – and young men – need to get tested, and it’s not something that’s intrusive. I wouldn’t have known this time last year I could get prostate cancer, but when you are diagnosed you begin to hear how common it is. If I can do anything for anybody, it’s to let them know that this test is so easy to get done. You’re just ticking a box, and it could make a big difference.”

Jonathan and his four closest friends will be taking on the challenge of climbing the top four peaks in Ireland without stopping in May of this year. The team is kindly donating half of all funds raised from this challenge to the Irish Cancer Society.