Fraser’s Story
Fraser McGill
Born in Dumfries on August 19th 1965, the last of four children with older sisters, I grew up in Lincluden, attending Lincluden primary and after one year at Maxweltown High School we moved to Creswell, my last three years being at Dumfries High.
I started work at 15 years and 11 months at Binns, a large department store in Dumfries until it closed its doors in 1990.
I’ve been married twice, have three wonderful children from my first marriage and a my second wife Lynne has a daughter too. I also have 4 wonderful grandchildren who never stop making me smile.
Fast forward to 2015, the year I turned 50, I took part in a 24 hour, 318 mile charity bike ride from Newcastle to London. I hadn’t cycled a lot since I was young but gave my all, training hard. On August 20th I and a couple of hundred cyclists set off for London and smashed the target. That got me addicted and over the next eight years I averaged 7,000 miles a year, all over the UK, doing epic rides for fun.
By 2023, Covid had gone and my cycling had stopped after injuring my knee. The year started ok, but after a routine check in April my Doctor called me and asked me to pop in, as my bloods weren’t “quite right”. The following day, she said “Mr McGill I’m slightly concerned about your PSA”. I tried to joke about it as I had no idea what PSA meant. She said “it’s related to your prostate”. I still had no idea.
She told me about the tests that needed to be done. Bloods, Digital Rectal Examination, etc. She performed the “digital exam” and confirmed a slight firmness, arranging a Urology appointment at (DGRI) two weeks later.
The Urologist also did the “digital exam” exclaiming, “yes, it’s a little firm, we’ll do an MRI”. By mid-July, I’d had my MRI and several weeks later I attended to get my results. The consultant was reassuring but told me something on my MRI warranted a closer look at the Western General in Edinburgh for a Transperineal biopsy. He gave me leaflets and I waited for my appointment letter. Haddington hospital did my biopsies on September 15th and the staff were fantastic. I needn’t have worried as the biopsy wasn’t too uncomfortable and I did get a sandwich and a cuppa.
It was a nervous wait for my results, then the surgeon called to say, “I’m sorry to say we found cancer in your prostate Mr McGill but the good thing is we’ve caught it early on so we can deal with it”. I didn’t have any of the symptoms.
In November the consultant at the Western General explained the options included Removal, Active Surveillance, Radiation and Brachytherapy. I just wanted the cancer out and had already decided on removal.
I visited the other specialist to hear about the options but the choice was mine to have a removal.
By July 2024 my appointment letter arrived to attend at St John’s Hospital in Livingston where they performed a robotic ‘prostatectomy’.
The staff were just brilliant so I can’t fault the service I received from NHS Scotland and the support I’ve received from Prostate Buddies has been so helpful too.