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The Many Faces of Cancer
As a cancer survivor and thriver, I know how important community and support are when you are facing a cancer diagnosis. That’s why I created The Many Faces of Cancer Podcast.
Each week I will be interviewing amazing people with heartfelt and inspirational stories from all sides of the cancer journey: patients, survivors and thrivers, caregivers, family and friends, and professionals. I may even throw in a bonus episode once in a while talking about things that are important to us all.
We never think it will happen to us, until it does. This podcast will be about community, knowing you’re not alone in your journey. It will also be an opportunity for people to share their stories and hopefully help others.
I hope you will all tune in. While it will be cancer stories, we all learn from others and, ultimately, these are human stories, applicable to many other areas of life.
The Many Faces of Cancer
Making Sense of It: From Diagnosis to Decision with Paul Davies
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A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming—but what happens when the next words aren't “Here's what we're going to do,” but instead, “Here are your options. You decide”?
In this episode of The Many Faces of Cancer, Melissa talks with Paul Davies, a prostate cancer survivor, television producer, lifelong educator and Chair of Trustees for Tackle Prostate Cancer in the UK.
Because Paul's father died from prostate cancer, Paul began regular PSA testing in his 40s. Years later, despite feeling healthy enough to run the London Marathon, a change in his PSA began a months-long journey through testing, uncertainty and eventually a prostate cancer diagnosis.
But receiving the diagnosis wasn't the end of Paul's uncertainty—it created an entirely new kind.
Faced with several possible treatment options, Paul found himself overwhelmed by research, potential side effects and the enormous responsibility of choosing the treatment that was right for him. Then, during an interfaith meeting, a rabbi friend offered a sentence that changed everything: prostate cancer might not kill him, but indecision might.
Paul shares how he finally made peace with his treatment decision, why avoiding “treatment regret” matters, and the remarkable full-circle moment when that same rabbi later called Paul after receiving his own prostate cancer diagnosis.
Today, Paul uses his experience to help others through Tackle Prostate Cancer, an organization supporting thousands of people through more than 160 support groups across the UK. He also discusses Make Sense of It, an initiative designed to help people navigate the difficult period between diagnosis and treatment.
In this conversation, Melissa and Paul discuss:
• The importance of knowing your PSA history and recognizing changes over time
• The emotional toll of waiting for a cancer diagnosis
• Why having multiple treatment options can sometimes increase anxiety
• How personal circumstances influence cancer treatment decisions
• Making a decision you can live with without future treatment regret
• The unique emotional challenge of active surveillance
• The power of cancer support groups and peer connection
• Turning your own cancer experience into support for someone else
• Paul's simple strategy for managing worry during cancer treatment
Paul's story is an important reminder that there may not always be one “right” cancer treatment decision. Sometimes the goal is to gather the information, understand what matters most to you, make the best decision you can—and allow yourself to move forward with it.
Resources:
Tackle Prostate Cancer Website: https://tackleprostate.org/
Paul's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pauldavs/
Follow:
Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/melissagrosboll/
My website: https://melissagrosboll.com
Email me: drmelissagrosboll@gmail.com