Blasted by Seeds – One Man’s Story of Beating Prostate Cancer with Brachytherapy

The book, Blasted By Seeds, was published in June 2015, and this copy recently arrived in our office.

Not yet available to buy in the UK, it is a book written by New Zealander Tom McGrath about his experience with prostate cancer and his choice of treatment, low dose rate brachytherapy. He was shocked at how the diagnosis of his prostate cancer discovery was pure luck, and, now cancer-free thanks to his brachytherapy treatment, he values his good health above anything.

Tom’s story started with a boil. He went to see his doctor and, following a blood test, found that in actual fact he was in the early stages of prostate cancer. Upon making this discovery, he decided to treat it with low dose rate brachytherapy. His decision was based on the fact that the procedure was not particularly invasive, would take just a few hours, and he could be back home the next day, back at work the following week, and essentially carry on as normal without having to tell others about his prostate cancer.

The book tells about his experience with cancer – the tests, the biopsies, diagnosis and the difficult process of choosing a treatment. It also details his experience with low dose rate brachytherapy and talks about his post-op period of medication.

He has since been told that his PSA count has reduced significantly. PSA is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. A PSA test measures the level of PSA in a man’s blood. A raised level of PSA can indicate that a man has prostate cancer.

Mr McGrath, who had been made redundant from a job that he loved prior to discovering he had cancer, says the whole experience has made him realise that losing your job might feel like the end of the world, but losing your health is so much more serious. He now feels happy despite losing his job, as things are looking excellent for him with regards to his health.

You can watch a video of Tom McGrath talking about his experiences to the New Zealand Herald here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/national/news/video.cfm?c_id=1503075&gallery_id=155544 Sources: