🌐 PC-PEP Men of the Month


Celebrating the men of our community who embody courage, generosity, and empowerment.

April – Men of the Month: Joseph, Anthony, Graham, and Tunde
Redefining Strength, Breaking Silence, and Leading Through Lived Experience

This month, we highlight four remarkable men whose voices are shaping conversations on prostate cancer, survivorship, and community across the globe.

What this conversation reveals

1. Prostate cancer is more than a diagnosis
Behind every statistic is a life still unfolding. Survivorship is lived daily—in how men move, think, relate, and rebuild.

2. Survivorship means reclaiming life
Recovery extends beyond treatment. It is shaped by habits, mindset, and meaning—through movement, nutrition, rest, and emotional care.

3. Silence and stigma remain powerful barriers
Across contexts, men describe difficulty speaking openly—even with family. Cultural expectations around masculinity can delay help-seeking and deepen isolation.

4. Disparities are real—and urgent
Black men face higher risks of diagnosis and mortality. Beyond statistics, there are gaps in trust, access, and culturally safe care that continue to shape outcomes.

5. Masculinity must be redefined
Strength is not silence. It is found in openness, vulnerability, and the willingness to seek support.

6. Systems are not enough on their own
Participants describe delayed diagnoses, inconsistent follow-up, and limited survivorship support. What happens after treatment matters deeply.

What helps—and what changes lives

Community breaks isolation
Connection creates healing. Organizations such as Movember, The Walnut Foundation, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Canada, and local support groups demonstrate the power of shared experience.

Action transforms knowledge
Daily practices—exercise, nutrition, pelvic floor work, and mental health strategies—create meaningful change.

Programs like PC-PEP provide structure and support
Routine, guidance, and connection beyond the clinic help translate knowledge into action.

Early detection matters
Screening, awareness, and family conversations save lives.

Key messages of hope

  • Cancer is not only physical—it is deeply human.
  • You are not invincible—and that is not failure.
  • Silence can be more dangerous than disease.
  • Community is a form of medicine.
  • Change begins with one person.

Listen to their stories. Read their full stories here.

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March – [Two-Spirit Celebration & Awareness Day (March 19) and National Indigenous Languages Day (March 31)] 2026 Celebrating Mike Hull (Ontario · PC-PEP Graduate & Podcast Guest)

“You don’t face cancer alone — you face it together.”
“The waiting and uncertainty can be harder than the treatment itself.”
“What keeps you grounded is trust, humour, and the people who walk beside you.”
“Cancer changes life — but it doesn’t take away the strength you build together.”

March invites reflection on community, relationships, and the diverse voices that shape how we experience health and healing. This month also includes Two-Spirit Celebration & Awareness Day (March 19) and National Indigenous Languages Day (March 31) — reminders of the importance of identity, culture, voice, and connection in the way people navigate illness and care.

Mike Hull’s story, shared in Episode 13 of the Prostate Cancer – Patient Empowerment Program (PC-PEPℱ) Podcast, offers a deeply human perspective on what it means to face prostate cancer not only as an individual, but as partners walking the journey together.

In this powerful conversation, Mike and his wife Barb speak openly about the realities that accompany a prostate cancer diagnosis: the emotional uncertainty, the waiting between appointments, the weight of treatment decisions, and the ways illness quietly reshapes daily life.

Mike underwent robotic prostatectomy, radiation therapy, and systemic treatment, navigating not only the medical aspects of prostate cancer but also the emotional and relational shifts that come with it.

For the first time on the PC-PEP Podcast, this episode brings together both the person diagnosed and their life partner— illuminating something that is often overlooked in medical conversations: cancer is experienced within relationships, families, and shared lives.

Together, Mike and Barb reflect on:

‱ Receiving and processing a prostate cancer diagnosis
‱ Living with uncertainty during treatment and recovery
‱ Navigating appointments, decisions, and emotional transitions
‱ The relational work of staying connected when life changes
‱ The grounding role of humour, trust, and shared daily routines

Their story reminds us that partners are not spectators in the cancer journey — they are co-travellers.

As we recognize the importance of voice, identity, and community this month, Mike and Barb’s conversation highlights another essential truth: healing often happens in connection with others.

By sharing their lived experience with honesty and humility, they offer comfort and insight to others walking similar paths.

🎧 Listen to the audio version:
Available on Buzzsprout and major platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

đŸ“ș Watch the video version on YouTube

This initiative is proudly funded by Movember through a Health Equity grant awarded to Drs. Gabriela Ilie and Rob Rutledge and delivered in partnership with the Prostate Cancer – Patient Empowerment Program (PC-PEPℱ) at Dalhousie University.

If you’re interested in joining PC-PEP, the program is freely available worldwide for English and French speakers at PCPEP.org.
For those outside a research trial, visit CancerPEP.com for tailored programs across cancer types.

Thank you for being part of this growing global community. Read Mike Hull’s story here.

EMPOWER YOURSELF. Live forward.

February (Black History Month) 2026 Celebrating Joseph Lyndon (Ontario · PC-PEP Graduate & Podcast Guest)

“Live forward.”
“I had no symptoms. No warning. No family history.”
“Faith carried me when fear tried to take over.”
“We need to talk openly about prostate cancer — especially in Black communities.”
“PC-PEP helped me move from surviving to truly living.”

Joseph Lyndon’s story, shared in Episode 3 of the Prostate Cancer Patient Empowerment Program Podcast, is a powerful reminder that prostate cancer does not always arrive with warning signs — and that resilience is built not only through strength, but through vulnerability.

Originally from England, Joe moved to Ontario to begin a new chapter with his wife. Soon after arriving in Canada, a routine medical visit — encouraged by her — led to a prostate cancer diagnosis that took him completely by surprise. Healthy, plant-based since adolescence, physically active, and with no family history, he never imagined he would face this disease.

As a Black man, Joe also had to confront the disproportionate risks and inequities surrounding prostate cancer — a reality he had previously understood through his work supporting Black men’s mental health. This time, the experience was personal.

In this episode, Joe speaks candidly about:

  • Becoming a grandfather soon after surgery
  • The emotional complexity prostate cancer brings into relationships
  • Reflections on masculinity and vulnerability
  • The grounding role of prayer and faith in mental health
  • The importance of culturally aware, community-based support

Through PC-PEP’s eight pillars — from pelvic floor physiotherapy and intimacy support to aerobic training, attitudinal healing, heart-rate variability stress management, nutrition, social connection, and scientific updates — Joe found tools not just to recover, but to live forward.

His story reminds us that empowerment is not the absence of fear — it is choosing connection, knowledge, and community in the face of it.

🎧 Listen to the audio version:
Available on Buzzsprout and major platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

đŸ“ș Watch the video version on YouTube

This initiative is proudly funded by Movember through a Health Equity grant awarded to Drs. Gabriela Ilie and Rob Rutledge and delivered in partnership with the Prostate Cancer – Patient Empowerment Program (PC-PEPℱ) at Dalhousie University.

If you’re interested in joining PC-PEP, the program is freely available worldwide for English and French speakers at PCPEP.org. For those outside a research trial, visit CancerPEP.com for tailored programs across cancer types.

Thank you for being part of this growing global community. Read Joseph Lyndon’s Story here.

EMPOWER YOURSELF. Live forward.

January 2026 – David Ashcroft
(Nova Scotia · Participant, Advocate & Podcast Guest)

“Knowledge is power — and no one should have to face prostate cancer alone.”
“The waiting, the silence, the isolation — that was the hardest part.”
“I made decisions in panic. If I’d had information earlier, I would have felt empowered, not afraid.”
“PC-PEP turned fear into connection, and connection into leadership.”
“When you’re seen, supported, and informed, everything changes.”

David’s story — shared in Episode 6 of the Prostate Cancer Patient Empowerment Program Podcast — is a powerful reminder of how access to knowledge, community, and inclusive care can transform a cancer journey. Living on a remote island near Chester, Nova Scotia, David faced diagnosis and treatment in near isolation, until a single PC-PEP poster changed his path. His experience helped inspire the creation of a dedicated PC-PEP support group for gay men, ensuring that no topic is off-limits and no one is left behind.

Listen to David’s story and join the movement toward empowerment, equity, and connection. Read David’s story here.

December 2025 – John Moody
(New Zealand · Participant & Mentor)

“Don’t let it spoil your day.”
“Active surveillance doesn’t mean doing nothing—it means living fully while taking charge of your health.”
“PC-PEP helped me focus on joy, not fear.”
“You can choose courage and calm every single morning—even after a cancer diagnosis.”
“Prioritizing my happiness brought my PSA down. That was no coincidence.”

Read John’s Story »

💙 The Story Behind the T-Shirts: David Ashcroft’s Gift

November 2025 – Kyle Tracey
(NS, Canada · Participant & Mentor since 2022)

“A simple PSA test can save your life — don’t wait to have that conversation.”
“You can’t control your diagnosis, but you can control how you respond.”
“Programs like PC-PEP give you tools — but it’s up to you to use them.”
“It’s not just about surviving; it’s about living well after cancer.”
“Community and connection are as powerful as any treatment.”

Read Kyle’s Story »

💙 The Story Behind the T-Shirts: David Ashcroft’s Gift

October 2025 – Kimble Meagher
(NS, Canada · Participant & Mentor since 2019)

“You are not just a patient in this program; you are an active participant in your own healing.”

Uli Konrad, PC-PEP Graduate and Mentor

💙 The Story Behind the T-Shirts: David Ashcroft’s Gift

Read Kimble’s Story »

September 2025 – Uli Konrad
(BC, Canada · Participant & Mentor)

“Transforming isolation into empowerment. Healing as a gay man with prostate cancer.”

Uli Konrad, PC-PEP Graduate and Mentor

Read Uli’s Story »

💙 The Story Behind the T-Shirts: David Ashcroft’s Gift