Feargal Sharkey on being diagnosed with prostate cancer after sore throat complaints
The Derry-born singer (66), who said the issue was resolved last year, revealed he is now doing 'very well' as he urged other men to get tested.
The Derry-born singer (66), who said the issue was resolved last year, revealed he is now doing 'very well' as he urged other men to get tested.
Had he not visited his GP, Sharkey believes there may have been 'a very different ending and a very different outcome to my life'.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men in Northern Ireland. Over 1,200 males here are diagnosed with the disease every year, and around 290 die from it.
It usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs of it for many years. Most cases develop in men aged 50 or older.
Sharkey, who grew up during the Troubles and is now a high-profile environmental campaigner, spoke out about his diagnosis in an interview with the Daily Express.
He said: 'About a year and a half ago, I randomly went to see my GP with a sore throat. Now I've known him long enough but he goes, 'No no, you're that bloke that used to sing. So if you're telling me you've got a sore throat, there's something going on'.
'So my doctor, being the beautiful, wonderful, awkward, cantankerous old man that he is, went, 'Oh Feargal, by the way, you're 65 now, I'm going to run the full battery of tests'.
'Two days later, it turns out, I began a journey which led to the [diagnosis] of prostate cancer.
'Thankfully, that's all now been resolved a year ago. But here we are, had it not been for that random visit to my local GP, I would never have known that I was at that point carrying prostate cancer, and if it had not been seen to, it could have been a very different ending and a very different outcome to my life.
'The reason I'm very happy to talk about it is because if there's one man out there over the age of 45 go and see your GP. Go and get the blood test done.'
Sharkey was the lead vocalist of The Undertones. Their most famed single was 'Teenage Kicks', which was released in 1978.
'We were deflated when we first got the record': The Undertones, from left, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill, Feargal Sharkey, John O'Neill and Billy Doherty. Photo: Fin Costello/Redferns
Prostate cancer is back in the headlines after six-time Olympic cycling gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy (49) revealed his diagnosis, which is now terminal.
Last weekend, former US President Joe Biden (82) said he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
A PSA test - a blood test that measures the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in your blood - can detect the signs of the disease.
Sharkey added: 'Now, for one in eight of you, you will be put in the same journey I've had and it's quite astonishing to think that in this country right now, one in eight men have prostate cancer. Most of them don't even know it. So go and have the blood test and if you're lucky, you'll walk away.
"If you're lucky, like me hopefully, you'll have caught it early on and you can deal with it and get on top of it.
'But, and I have such unbelievable admiration for Chris Hoy over the last couple of months, if you end up where Chris is, well you're now looking for a very different outcome and not the one you were expecting for your life, my friend. So, for a blood test - go get it done right now.'
According to the NHS website, symptoms of prostrate cancer include an increased need to pee, straining while you pee or a feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied.
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