Alive but Angry. Strong yet Shaken. The unseen side of prostate cancer

Marie Keating Foundation’s Blue September 2026 campaign Diagnosis Duality explores the Seen, Unseen and Everything in Between of a prostate cancer diagnosis

Relief and fear. Gratitude and grief. Feeling strong while also feeling shaken. These conflicting emotions can sit side by side during and after a prostate cancer diagnosis, but they are not always visible to the people around us.

That is the reality being explored by the Marie Keating Foundation this Blue September through Diagnosis Duality – the Seen, Unseen and Everything in Between of a prostate cancer diagnosis.

Around 4,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in Ireland each year, according to the latest National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) data. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in Ireland, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer.

Diagnosis Duality – the Seen, Unseen and Everything in Between explores these different feelings that can coexist through five pairings: Alive / Angry; Free / Fear; Grateful / Grieving; Delighted / Detached and Strong / Shaken.

The campaign forms part of the Foundation’s ongoing Stand Up for Your Prostate campaign and is proudly supported by Astellas and Pfizer.

Prostate cancer survival in Ireland has improved substantially over the past three decades. The latest NCRI analysis shows age-and-stage-standardised five-year net survival increased from 76% for men diagnosed in 1994–1998 to 97% for those diagnosed in 2019–2022. [1]

But survival does not tell the whole story. The impact of prostate cancer can continue well beyond diagnosis and treatment. Some of it is visible. Much of it isn’t.

Helen Forristal, Urology Nurse Specialist and Director of Nursing Services at the Marie Keating Foundation, said:
“One of the things we see when supporting people affected by prostate cancer is that there isn’t one ‘right’ way to feel. It can be a huge relief to have finished treatment or to have received good news after treatment, while at the same time feeling worried about your future. You may feel angry that you already have incontinence or early signs of erectile dysfunction or simply anxious about the overall effects and not quite feel like your old self. For people living with prostate cancer, those feelings can change over time too and fluctuate. You may not experience urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction, but this is something to be trusted over time and that uncertainty lies within at least the early days of recovery.

“The impact of a diagnosis doesn’t always end when treatment does, and it isn’t always visible to the people around you. That’s why it’s so important that we make space and be open to honest conversations about how people are really doing and make sure they know that support is there if and when they need it.”

Blue September also continues the Foundation’s work to encourage men to understand their prostate cancer risk and talk to their GP about PSA testing.

Prostate cancer can develop without obvious signs or symptoms. Family history is an important risk factor. Men are around two and a half times more likely to develop prostate cancer if their father or brother has had the disease. Inherited genetic factors, including BRCA2, and being overweight or obese can also increase risk.

The Marie Keating Foundation advises men to talk to their GP about their individual risk and PSA testing from age 50, or from 45 where there is a family history of prostate or breast cancer.

A PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, test measures the level of PSA in the blood. The result can provide information about prostate health and help a GP decide whether further investigation is needed.

Support for people living with and beyond prostate cancer can take many forms. The Marie Keating Foundation provides services including its Survive & Thrive programme and Positive Living Community, while support is also available through local cancer support centres, counselling and community organisations.

This September, everyone can take a stand. Start a conversation about prostate health, learn more about your own risk, or check in with someone affected by prostate cancer. People can also support the campaign by wearing the Marie Keating Foundation Stand Up for Your Prostate pin.

For more information about Blue September, prostate cancer and available supports, visit  https://mariekeating.ie/campaigns/standup26/

Blue September 2026 is proudly supported by Astellas and Pfizer.

Why Prostate Health Matters

• Risk factors: Men are 2.5 times more likely to develop prostate cancer if a father or brother had it. Inherited genes such as BRCA2, being overweight and a family history of breast cancer also increase risk.
• Lifetime diagnosis: 1 in 6 men in Ireland will be diagnosed; among Black men the risk rises to 1 in 4.
• Prostate cancer can often be asymptomatic, meaning there are no obvious changes or signs that something might not be right with your body. This is why open and honest communication between men and their GPs is so vital and why we urge you to ask about that important PSA blood test. A simple blood test that can detect your risk of prostate cancer in its earliest stages.

Possible signs and symptoms of prostate cancer include:

• Difficulty or pain passing urine (dysuria)
• Urgency and frequency of urination
• Getting up at night to urinate (nocturia)
• Weak, slow or interrupted flow
• Feeling that the bladder has not emptied fully
• Blood in the urine