Brian Kelly’s Story

Brian Kelly – Buddy

I started life in Creswell Maternity Hospital in 1959 to Dad Sid and Mum, Gladys. Dad was a labourer with Crombies the Builders and Mum was understandably a very busy housewife, as I had five siblings.
There’s Eleanor, who was a Nurse but is now retired. Sid Junior was a Glazier but has now passed. John was an electrician but has now passed.

Robert was a Joiner/Handyman and Mary is married to Davie Mcburnie and they own the local removals company, based at Heathhall For schooling I enjoyed Dalton Primary before going on to Secondary at Annan Academy which I left pretty much intact. After school I served my time as a mechanic at Nithsdale Garage and several other garages, then became service manager at the Skoda Garage, Deans of Dumfries at Locharbriggs, before moving on to work at McBurnie’s Removals.

In 2025, following my operation, I left McBurnie’s and got a less physical two day part-time job at Solway Tile, doing deliveries. Julie and I were married in 2016 and with no kids, we have a great social life and enjoy some lovely holidays. We both follow Queen of the South, both home and away which is possible because Julie, who was in the Police but now only works two days a week at St Michaels Medical Centre in Dumfries, has plenty of free time, as I do.

My Prostate story began when my boss said I looked tired and that encouraged a visit to my GP who did an ECG test and took bloods, which showed my PSA was at 64, when it should be 0.01. The bone scan they did was clear and the MRI was inconclusive but biopsies showed cancer was present, however it was thankfully contained (encapsulated) within the Prostate. My consultations at the Western General in Edinburgh involved being given the choice of either Radiotherapy or Removal.

Being left to make the choice between the two, my decision was for removal which took place at Livingstone Hospital in October 2024 by Professor Alan McNeil and I’m delighted to say there have been no ill effects since. I can’t praise Prostate Buddies D & G enough as they saw me through my own worries and concerns and having since become a ‘Buddy’, I am happy to do all I can to help other guys get through their diagnosis, treatment and recovery.