The former head of Gloucester City Council's PR department is on a mission to save lives by raising awareness of prostate cancer among men.

Marcus Grodentz, 73, was head of the award-winning department for 14 years. He now lives in south Wales and was sadly diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer 15 months ago.

He's now urging men Punchline-Gloucester.com's male readers and their partners to seek regular proactive testing to prevent the risk of a 'ticking time bomb'.

Marcus said: "I had no symptoms and had almost certainly been walking around with it for several years. It was around January 2023 that I realised I was having trouble with my waterworks. My GP prescribed tablets for my prostate and when they had no discernible effect he tried some others without any luck."

Marcus then consulted a specialist who wasn't particularly concerned but suggested it wouldn't hurt to have some further tests.

He added: "But the results of those tests came as a shock to him as well as to my wife and I. I had prostate cancer and it had spread to my bones and my lungs. It takes a long time for that to happen, so I had probably been walking around with cancer for years and had not even known about it.

"In fact I was pretty fit for my age - I was still going out for 5km jogs and doing hour-long cardio sessions on my exercise bike. Everyone told me how amazing I looked for my age.

"This cancer has no discernible side effects. It affects one in eight men. There are a lot of guys out there who like me are walking around with a ticking time bomb inside their bodies and who don't even know it."

Marcus now works as a life coach and a public speaking coach. He posts on social media and has been blogging about his cancer journey.

Recently, he was invited to be on a panel talking at the Senedd in Cardiff about cancer and the effect on mental health, both on patients and their friends and families. He has also appeared on radio and TV.

He added: "I am taking any and every opportunity to talk about prostate cancer and to urge men to get themselves tested. The PSA blood test is not a definitive indicator of prostate cancer but at the moment, for us men, it is all we have.

"I thought I was bullet proof, but it turns out none of us are. Not Kings, or Princesses or Olympic champions."

Marcus is being helped by the Maggie's centre in Cardiff where he goes weekly and attends a men's support group.

"Maggie's is a fantastic charity and I have found it to be so helpful. They do a brilliant job supporting not just those with cancer but friends and family as well. It's fantastic that they have one in Cheltenham  too."