Former Māori Party leader Te Ururoa Flavell has made a heartfelt plea to fellow Maori men to get tested for prostate cancer.
Mr Flavell has received chemotherapy for the disease, which he supplemented with traditional Maori remedies including karakia, mirimiri and kawakawa juice.
Tests show his body is virtually clear of the cancer, but he will be on hormone treatment for the rest of his life.
He’s concerned tāne Māori are still reluctant to be tested, despite all the messaging on a disease that kills 600 men in Aotearoa every year.
“It’s as simple as a blood test for goodness sake. It takes no more than 20 seconds to put the needle in the arm and draw some blood and tell the doctor you want a prostate check – there’s three, cholesterol, prostate and diabetes – you should be asking for those because if you have cancer in your whakapapa it’s likely to be heading your way. Don’t wait for the last minute because sometimes it’s gone too far and you can’t claw it back,” Mr Flavell says.
Māori men are about 20 percent less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than non-Māori men but 50 percent more likely to die from the disease once diagnosed.
