Leanne Sargeant is the first prostate cancer nurse at Daffodil Cottage Bathurst

This is why, as of October 2022, Daffodil Cottage in Bathurst now offers the service of a prostate cancer specialist nurse - the first one in the service - Leanne Sargeant.

Since beginning her role at Daffodil Cottage, Ms Sargeant has become the point of call for 179 men in the area who are living with prostate cancer, whether they are newly diagnosed, or in advanced stages.

Working on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from the cottage, Ms Sargeant services Bathurst, Blayney, Oberon, Cowra, Lithgow and the Rylstone area.

"I'm based at Daffodil Cottage, and my role is one of support and coordination," she said.

This includes supporting men and their families navigate a diagnosis of prostate cancer, as well as helping them to explore treatment options and potential side-effects of these treatments.

She is also able to refer men in need to specialists, health care providers and support groups, and to provide assurance that the help they need will be available at any given time.

One of these support groups is the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA), which is dedicated to reducing the impact of prostate cancer on Australian men and their partners and families.

"It's that point of contact that they can have with one person that they can then help them through that care coordination and liaising between specialist services," she said.

According to Ms Sargeant, this service is extremely important in ensuring not only the physical health of the men afflicted, but also their mental health.

"It's vital," she said.

"A prostate cancer specialist nurse helps them through coordination whilst they're entering into the health care service, which is often a very intimidating and overwhelming experience for people.

"And with that overwhelming experience comes distress and anxiety.

"And that affects their quality of life, so it's super important that they can have one person that they can link in with and feel that they're not lost in the health system."

Though there is a high number of men that are diagnosed annually, Ms Sargeant said that the mortality rate for the cancer is quite low, as long as the cancer is detected early.

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This is why she is advocating for men to be tested when they reach 50 years of age, or 40 years of age if there is a family history of prostate, breast, or cervical cancer.

"Early diagnosis is key, so if we can get men being diagnosed in the early stages of prostate cancer, there are very, very high cure rates," she said.

And the testing for prostate cancer is nothing to be afraid of, according to Ms Sargeant.

"Really it's a conversation with your GP [general practitioner]," she said.

"Then it's a blood test, and then it's a follow up with your GP from there, and then depending on what the results of that are whether you're referred to a specialist."

The only time a Digital Rectal Examination is required is if it is referred by a specialist, and never prior.

Ms Sargeant has worked as a prostate cancer specialist nurse for over seven years, and it's something that she loves doing.

"I like problem solving, I like helping people navigate the health system ... it's very rewarding," she said.

But, despite the rewarding nature of the job, she said it can sometimes get a bit heavy, and so she has put in place different methods of self-care to ensure her own mental health is not affected.

"I've learnt to put things in place for my own wellbeing and mental health," she said.

When Ms Sargeant isn't working at Daffodil Cottage, she is assisting with chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients as an oncology nurse.

She urged anyone who is in need of assistance to contact her via the PCFA website, or by phone at Daffodil Cottage on 6330 5347.

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