Michael runs his ‘Meaning of Life’ City2Surf
72 year old Michael Bendeich was diagnosed with a high risk skin cancer on his left hand in 2008 and received radiation therapy after surgery to prevent recurrence. He has had no more problems with the hand.
In September 2014, he was diagnosed with a high risk prostate cancer and after seeing a urologist and radiation oncologist, he chose to have curative radiation therapy. Michael had features of prostate cancer that suggested he would also benefit from hormone therapy along with the radiation; he underwent 2 years of testosterone-reducing injections before and after the 8 week course of radiation therapy.
He experienced very few side effects from radiation therapy and these have now all settled.
Always being a runner, Michael kept himself fit during this treatment despite feeling more tired than usual on hormones. He ran the City2Surf while still undergoing treatment in 2015.
This year will mark the 42nd time, Michael is running in the City2Surf. He told his radiation oncologist that this one is his ‘Meaning of Life’ run – an important milestone, particularly because he has completed his prostate cancer treatment.
Michael says that he is even more determined to continue to participate in the City2Surf after experiencing cancer and managing to beat it, because he “never knows what will happen next”.
This year, Michael joins the Targeting Cancer team in the run, to help promote awareness of radiation therapy as an effective, sophisticated and well tolerated option for curative prostate cancer treatment.
Radiation therapy is also an important part of cure and improving quality of life for many people living with all types of cancer.
Click here for more information about radiation therapy
Register to join the Targeting Cancer team and Michael at the City2Surf, Sunday 14 August 2016
