Ian Waddell’s first 12 months of retirement didn’t look how he’d imagined they might before he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Instead, they were marred by doctors’ visits, appointments with specialists, tests, procedures and treatment.
But, the Shepparton resident saw being able to have radiation therapy and hormone injections in his home town as a blessing, saying his life was not as disrupted as it might have been had he needed to travel regularly to Melbourne or another larger regional health service for his continuing care.
Mr Waddell was diagnosed in 2025 after some flow issues when urinating led to the discovery of the cancer.
“I wasn’t unwell, I wasn’t feeling the slightest bit of discomfort or anything like that,” Mr Waddell said.
After discussing his symptoms with his partner, Casey Fifoot, who has a history in nursing, she urged him to get checked out.
A subsequent high reading on prostate-specific antigen test (a blood test that measures prostate-produced protein levels) and a biopsy rang alarm bells.
Then, a positron emission tomography scan determined Mr Waddell had cancer in his prostate, pelvis and a rib on his left side.
“They sent me down to Melbourne for the PET scan because there’s no-one up here can do that yet at the moment,” he said.
“From there they put me into Genesis Care for radiation and they were wonderful.”
Along with androgen deprivation therapy (a hormone treatment to reduce or block testosterone, which fuels prostate cancer cell growth), five radiation sessions on his rib late last year and around 20 more on his prostate and pelvis area earlier this year, Mr Waddell has now begun chemotherapy.
During that time, he also suffered renal failure, which hospitalised him for around three weeks; two in Shepparton and one in Melbourne.
He now has to have a stent procedure every six months.
Before his diagnosis, Mr Waddell said he was “never sick with anything”, but now calls himself a “hospital VIP”.
“I know where everything is in the hospital now,” he said.
“I’m very fortunate that I can get most of the services I need done here and continue on my day doing other things rather than travelling.
“I was talking to a bloke out the front one day and he’d been through it a couple of years ago and he didn’t quite fare as well as I did.
“He had the same thing as me, and he had to go to Bendigo.”
Mr Waddell retired 12 months early, 12 months ago, from his heavy-lifting job in an ingredients room at SPC when he got his diagnosis.
He’s not yet touched his superannuation, but that might have been a different story if he’d had to travel back and forth to Melbourne, paying for fuel, tolls and parking, for his treatment, like many regional patients have to do.
While cheaper, public transport wouldn’t have been an option, due to its inconvenience while suffering post-procedure pain and fatigue, as well as being exposed to germs that can further compromise an already weakened immune system.
But, thankfully, for Mr Waddell, the money was saved and some quality of life was spared by being able to access his care close to home.
In between treatment, he’s managed to woodwork, brew beer, make his own salami and spend quality time with his family, in particular his grandson, who he’s now able to pick up from school one day a week.
“During the days, I fool around outside,” he said.
“I’ve done the toilet up last week; the week before I was out on the alfresco area doing things; a few weeks before that I was doing outdoor garden beds, so really, I’m able to do things still, I just have to rest a bit.”
Ms Fifoot said she was constantly surprised by her partner’s positive attitude and lust for life.
“He’s a champion; he just soldiers on and you wouldn’t even know he’s got it,” she said.
“Well, I wouldn’t even know I’ve got it, honestly,” Mr Waddell added.
While Mr Waddell hopes GV Health gets the funding it needs to build a new fully integrated cancer centre so that all local cancer patients can also be completely cared for close to home, he said the Shepparton oncology team was already first-class.
“I cannot fault them; this place is amazing, I was aware of it but not aware of how it worked,” he said.
“To be here, to front up to work every day when people are going through cancer and all the staff are just happy sort of people ... they’re definitely handpicked.
“The caring nature of some people, you know, it just amazes me.”
The GV Health Foundation is calling on individuals, businesses and community groups to donate to its $5 million I Care for Cancer Care @ GV Health fundraising appeal to help bring first-class cancer care to the Goulburn Valley.
Donations can be made via the foundation’s website.
Community members interested in the various opportunities to contribute to and support the appeal can contact Amy De Paola via email at amy.depaola@gvhealth.org.au