Edinburgh dad-of-two whose prostate cancer was caught early after routine test issues plea to men
A 51-year-old Edinburgh-based lawyer, takes on Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4 just six months after having his Prostate removed
An Edinburgh lawyer who was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer following a routine blood test is urging men over 45 to get checked.
Andrew Ley, 51, underwent surgery to remove his prostate in March after a slightly elevated PSA result prompted further medical investigations.
Mr Ley had requested a PSA blood test as part of a routine medical last October. His results came back at 3.58, slightly above the benchmark of three for a man of his age.
“They said it’s probably nothing, but would like to send you for a scan,” he said.
An MRI scan in December identified something suspicious, and Mr Ley then went on to have a CT scan and biopsy, which later confirmed prostate cancer in January.
He told the Evening News that a bone scan showed that the disease had not spread beyond the prostate.
“You’ve only got one choice, but it’s a good one.
“It's surgery, because we’ve caught it early,” he was told.
The weeks over Christmas last year while he waited for the results, were one of the hardest parts of the process, he said.
Mr Ley stated: “You do catastrophise, you go to quite a dark place with ‘what if I get some really terrible news in January’.”
He and his wife decided not to tell their two sons, Felix, 15, and Oscar, 12, anything until they had a clear treatment plan.
“It was really only my wife and I that could talk about it. We didn't want to burden the boys until we actually had something definitive,” he said.
Once the surgery was agreed, he recalled speaking to his sons on a Saturday morning after they played their sports: “I remember my 12-year-old saying, ‘so are you telling me you’ve got cancer?’
“And I was like, ‘yes, but I've had it for longer than I’m going to have it if the surgery goes to plan.’”
He revealed that a father at his son's school had also been through a near-identical experience just a few months earlier than himself.
“Calm parents equal calm kids, and he's absolutely right,” Mr Ley said.
He then explained that he underwent robotic surgery at the Spire Murrayfield Hospital in March, spending only one night in hospital before being discharged with a catheter for a week.
“If I never have a catheter again, I’ll be very happy,” he said.
The tumour he had was graded eight out of 10 for aggression, and he stated that he is not yet clear of the disease. He continues to have regular blood tests, with the possibility of further treatment if any residual cancer is found.
He added: “I’m not out of the woods yet, but either way it's a much better position to be in than if I hadn't known about it at all.”
Six months on, Mr Ley returned to the Tour de 4 event, riding the 90km red route alongside his university friends despite only being allowed to ride his bike since June.
He described a particularly steep climb where he chose to jump off and push his bike alongside another rider he had never met, swapping personal stories on the way up.
At the finish line, wearing a Prostate Cancer jumper, he crossed the line with two of his friends and explained that it was a very emotional moment for him.
“It’s very humbling, to the extent you feel sorry for yourself and then you turn up at an event like that and there are just so many inspiring people,” he said.
He has since raised £5,000 for Prostate Cancer UK through his GoFundMe page.
Mr Ley is now urging men aged 45 and over to request PSA blood tests as part of routine medical checks.
He said the experience had changed his outlook on life. He explained: “It's funny - people talk about what cancer takes from you, but it also gives you quite a lot.
“It’s given me perspective and experience, which I'm keen to share.”