Man of the Month: Matthew Guy

Matthew’s Guiding Messages

“Your identity remains part of your story throughout cancer.”

“Inclusive care matters because feeling understood matters.”

“No man should have to wonder whether there is a place for him in cancer support.”

“Representation and visibility can help people feel less alone.”

“Healing is personal, and support should be too.”

“There is strength in finding a community where you can be yourself.”

🎧 Hear Matthew’s Story

In Episode 5 of the Prostate Cancer Patient Empowerment Program Podcast, Matthew shares his personal experience of being diagnosed with prostate cancer as a gay man and navigating the emotional realities that followed.

With openness and honesty, Matthew reflects on:

The emotional impact of receiving an unexpected prostate cancer diagnosis
Navigating cancer care as a gay man
The importance of inclusive and affirming survivorship support
Gaps in care when diverse identities and lived experiences are not fully recognized
The importance of visibility, representation, and belonging
How PC-PEP helped him regain a sense of strength, purpose, and connection

Matthew’s story reminds us why healthcare must continue moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach.

Prostate cancer may be the diagnosis that brings men into the healthcare system, but each man arrives with a life, an identity, relationships, values, fears, and experiences that matter.

Truly supportive cancer care begins by seeing the whole person.

This episode is for men living with prostate cancer, LGBTQ+ communities, partners and families, healthcare professionals, researchers, patient advocates, and anyone interested in making cancer survivorship care more inclusive, compassionate, and human.

👉 Watch Matthew’s story: https://youtu.be/J6hrtK-YNsg

👉 Listen on podcast platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2420283/

👉 Learn more about PC-PEP: https://www.pcpep.org/

💡 Key Messages of Inspiration

You deserve to be seen.

Cancer care should recognize the whole person — not simply the diagnosis. Identity, relationships, culture, community, and lived experience all matter.

Representation matters.

Seeing people with experiences similar to our own can reduce isolation and remind us that there is a place for us within the cancer community.

Inclusive care is better care.

Supportive cancer programs should create environments where every person feels welcomed, respected, and comfortable being themselves.

You are not alone.

A prostate cancer diagnosis can feel profoundly isolating. Connection with people who understand — whether through shared experience or compassionate listening — can make that journey easier.

Men’s health includes emotional health.

Fear, uncertainty, vulnerability, changes in identity, relationships, intimacy, and belonging are all legitimate parts of the prostate cancer experience and deserve attention and support.

Sharing your story can help someone else.

When people speak openly about experiences that are often invisible or underrepresented, they create possibilities for others to feel recognized, understood, and less alone.

Belonging is part of healing.

Matthew’s story reminds us that recovery is not simply about getting through treatment. It is also about rebuilding confidence, connection, meaning, and a sense of belonging.

At PC-PEP, we believe survivorship care should meet men where they are — in all their diversity and complexity — and provide them with science-based tools, compassionate support, and a community in which they can feel seen and valued.

Together, we can continue building cancer care where every voice matters and every man belongs.

EMPOWER YOURSELF!

#PCPEP #ProstateCancer #ProstateCancerAwareness #CancerSurvivorship #PatientEmpowerment #LGBTQHealth #GayMensHealth #InclusiveCancerCare #MensHealth #MentalHealth #CancerCare #PatientVoices #RepresentationMatters #CancerSupport #EmpowerYourself

👕 The Story Behind the T-Shirts: Why It Matters

The PC-PEP T-shirts are more than just fabric — they are symbols of connection, awareness, and pride in belonging to the PC-PEP community.

These shirts were made possible by David Ashcroft, a fellow PC-PEP Mentor and author, who donated proceeds from his memoir Searching for Belonging and designed the artwork himself.

The message of belonging feels especially meaningful alongside Matthew’s story.

Gestures like David’s help create visibility and connection. Each shirt can spark a conversation, raise awareness about prostate cancer, and remind men that they are part of a larger community.

This is central to the mission of PC-PEP: creating communities of empowerment where isolation can become connection, fear can become resilience, and every person can feel that there is a place for them.

🌍 About This Series

The PC-PEP Man of the Month series celebrates participants and Mentors who generously share their experiences and embody courage, compassion, resilience, and the spirit of empowerment.

Each story is different because every experience of prostate cancer is different.

By sharing these voices, we hope to raise awareness, reduce stigma, improve understanding of the lived experience of prostate cancer, and help build a more inclusive community in which men from all backgrounds and identities can feel seen, supported, and empowered.

Matthew’s story reminds us that visibility matters, representation matters, and belonging matters.

And sometimes, simply knowing that someone else has walked a similar path can change everything.