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Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Ryan was a healthy young family man when he went for a routine check-up. Then the unthinkable happened
A young Queensland politician has been given a devastating cancer diagnosis after a routine check-up - despite having no concerning symptoms. Brisbane City councillor Ryan Murphy was diagnosed at 36 with prostate cancer - a condition that rarely affects men under the age of 50. In Australia, less than 2 per cent of men aged under 49 are diagnosed with prostate cancer – but the public servant said it was 'just his luck' to be among the minority, with the average age of diagnosis being 70. The dad said he only discovered his diagnosis in April this year - purely by chance. It all started when the politician embarked on a self-initiated health kick, inspired by the arrival of his first child, a daughter named Elodie, with wife Emma Yabsley in 2021. 'I thought, "Well, I'm in my mid-30s, this is a good midlife health check in point, just to see how things are tracking",' Ryan told FEMAIL. With no alarming symptoms, Ryan booked an appointment with his GP, expecting nothing more than a routine health check-up with innocuous results. Just days later, he received the worst news imaginable: stage two prostate cancer. The shock of the 'out-of-the-blue' diagnosis hit Ryan on many levels - the biggest being that he had zero symptoms and nothing at all to indicate prostate cancer. Before his soul-crushing diagnosis, Ryan said his first round of blood tests in 2024 revealed higher cholesterol levels, which he admitted were likely due to an average diet and inconsistent exercise habits. So, he immediately set about losing a few kilos before returning for a follow-up appointment with his GP. At the next check-up, the GP asked Ryan to repeat the blood test and provided a new referral. Crucially, the doctor added a 'PSA' test - which measures prostate-specific antigens. Given Ryan's age, the PSA test wasn't ordered out of concern that he had prostate cancer, but simply to provide a baseline result for future reference. With no unusual symptoms and a busy life juggling work and a young family, the politician said he promptly filed the blood test referral in his car's glove box and forgot all about it. It was only months later, while cleaning his car, that he rediscovered it. 'I found the scrunched-up pathology form and almost threw it out. But I decided not to – and later went and did the blood test, mostly just so I could get rid of the referral paper,' he said. Two days later, Ryan received the unexpected news from his doctor confirming that while he'd successfully lowered his cholesterol levels, his PSA results had come back exceptionally high. The doctor said Ryan's PSA was 'at 11 when the number should be under two'. A follow-up MRI scan and specialist appointment confirmed the dreaded news that he had late stage two prostate cancer. Naturally, the other surprise was Ryan's age. Although prostate cancer is highly prevalent, with one in six Aussies diagnosed in their lifetime, it typically affects much older men. At the time of speaking to FEMAIL, Ryan was still in the process of meeting with his oncologist to decide the best course of action, which he believes will involve surgery. But the dad is holding off for now until his wife, who is currently pregnant with their second child, gives birth to their new baby in upcoming months. After that, he'll resume an active course of cancer treatment. The prostate cancer diagnosis has been a 'light bulb' moment for Ryan, who believed his new 'priority' is to ensure he is well and healthy for his growing family. 'After any cancer diagnosis, you find yourself asking whether you've spent every day prior to that correctly, and what you're spending your time on [in the future],' he said. The public servant added that he's also adopted a number of lifestyle changes, which includes more often eating plant-based foods, reducing alcohol intake, undertaking periods of fasting and continuing his weight loss efforts. But the informal and disjointed chain of events that led to Ryan's diagnosis raised alarm bells, prompting the politician to question the current system in place for diagnosing prostate cancer. 'There are men who are in "health literate" postcodes, who see the same doctor and get tested regularly – so their prostate cancer is picked up early on and successfully treated,' Ryan said. 'Then there's men who live in postcodes where it's difficult to access medical services or MRI's - and they're not getting tested. That's inequitable.' The Queensland councillor speculated that many other potential diagnoses could be missed by men who weren't as proactive about their health as he was. 'The thing I learnt after talking to other people diagnosed with prostate cancer is just how haphazard our system of diagnosing this type of cancer' Ryan said. In his role as a politician, Ryan believes a prostate cancer national register of PSA test results is easily achievable given the current Australian health care 'infrastructure', diagnostic technology and testing facilities are all already in place. 'This is just about coordinating it, which will place a safety net around those men who are not going to be proactively having medical check ups. ' Until then, the dad urges men to simply make an appointment with their GP and request a blood test that includes a PSA reading, so that they can start getting a baseline level reading. 'Have your doctor add it onto your next blood test and then you'll get your PSA and know your number. Then, you can check back in again later in life and just see if it's moving.' The young politician is campaigning to fix a broken cancer screening system, aiming to ensure others don't slip through the cracks. It's something that's also been top of mind for leading Brisbane urologist, Dr Peter Heathcote. The former President of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand is in full support of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia's current call for a national prostate cancer screening register of PSA test results. This would be similar to other the national register systems currently in place to track breast and bowel cancer screenings. Dr Heathcote said that despite prostate cancer being 'very common', it had somehow been overlooked for a formalised national screening program register. The highly publicised recent diagnosis of former US president Joe Biden, 83, reconfirmed presumptions that 'age is a high-risk factor for prostate cancer'. However, Dr Heathcote said awareness of prostate cancer needs to start far earlier, with the proposed screening register recommending that all men aged over 50 regularly monitor their PSA levels. Furthermore, he noted that some groups of men are at an 'increased risk' of prostate cancer - including those with a family history of the disease. 'For example, if you've had a father or a brother diagnosed with prostate cancer at a younger age, your risk of getting clinically significant prostate cancer doubles,' said Dr Heathcote. 'There's also a relative increase when there's familial syndromes like BRCA2, which is typically is associated with breast and ovarian cancer. The medical practitioner underlines the fact that diagnosing prostate cancer at an early stage is crucial to the prospects of a successful treatment outcome. However, with no signs or symptoms present early on, 'the only way to diagnose prostate cancer when it's at an early curable stage is after an initial PSA blood test'. This test is then followed up by an MRI and potentially also a biopsy to confirm the cancer. Currently, the only way that prostate cancer is being caught at an early stage is through sporadic blood tests – like how Ryan's diagnosis came about. When PSA levels aren't being regularly monitored, Dr Heathcote says that unfortunately prostate cancer is more often only discovered when it's quite advanced once classic symptoms emerge, such as 'urgency and frequency of urination and the big red flag of blood in the urine.' This is why the medical expert along with the politician are advocating alongside the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia for the introduction of a national screening register to improve the chances of catching the disease sooner than later. Without a formal prostate cancer screening problem, Dr Heathcote notes there's great 'health inequality' between those that regularly see a doctor and those that don't. The screening register currently being lobbied will recommend men over the age of 50 have a PSA blood level check at least every two years. This age would lower to over 40 for men in higher risk groups. Dr Heathcote added that there's even a tangible financial incentive for adopting a formal screening register, explaining that prostate cancer is the most expensive cancer in Australia, with the cost of treating it at over $500 million a year.
Scottish Sun
16-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Schoolgirl, 15, missing for three days after she vanished from train station as cops urge ‘call 999 if you see her'
URGENT SEARCH Schoolgirl, 15, missing for three days after she vanished from train station as cops urge 'call 999 if you see her' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) COPS have launched an appeal to help find a teenager who has been missing for three days. Elodie, 15, was last seen at Fareham train station at around 9.30am last Sunday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Police have launched an appeal to help find the teenager Credit: Hampshire Police A statement from Hampshire Police said: "The 15-year-old, who also goes by the name 'Wren', has gone missing from Hedge End and was last seen at Fareham train station on Sunday 13 July, at about 9.30am. "It is believed she may have travelled to the Plymouth area. "Elodie is described as white, about 5ft 7in tall, slim build, dark brown hair with blonde roots in a short bob. "She was last seen wearing a grey vest top, black cycle shorts, black Reebok trainers, and she was carrying a white Hello Kitty bag. "She was wearing two hair black hair clips in her hair. "Anyone with information about Elodie whereabouts are asked to please call 999 immediately, quoting reference number 44250312072." 2 Police have released a picture of Elodie, 15 Credit: Hampshire Police More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
The Sun
16-07-2025
- The Sun
Schoolgirl, 15, missing for three days after she vanished from train station as cops urge ‘call 999 if you see her'
COPS have launched an appeal to help find a teenager who has been missing for three days. Elodie, 15, was last seen at Fareham train station at around 9.30am last Sunday. 2 The teen, from Hedge End, Hampshire, is understood to have travelled to the Plymouth area. Elodie, who also goes by the name 'Wren', is described as being 5ft 7in with dark brown hair. She was last seen to be wearing a grey vest top and black shorts, carrying a Hello Kitty bag. Hampshire Police confirmed Elodie was last seen on July 13. A statement from the force said: "We are appealing for information to help us find missing girl Elodie. "The 15-year-old, who also goes by the name 'Wren', has gone missing from Hedge End and was last seen at Fareham train station on Sunday 13 July, at about 9.30am. "It is believed she may have travelled to the Plymouth area. "Elodie is described as white, about 5ft 7in tall, slim build, dark brown hair with blonde roots in a short bob. "She was last seen wearing a grey vest top, black cycle shorts, black Reebok trainers, and she was carrying a white Hello Kitty bag. "She was wearing two hair black hair clips in her hair. "Anyone with information about Elodie whereabouts are asked to please call 999 immediately, quoting reference number 44250312072." 2 is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Schoolgirl, 15, missing for three days after she vanished from train station as cops urge ‘call 999 if you see her'
COPS have launched an appeal to help find a teenager who has been missing for three days. Elodie, 15, was last seen at Fareham train station at around 9.30am last Sunday. 2 Police have launched an appeal to help find the teenager Credit: Hampshire Police A statement from Hampshire Police said: "The 15-year-old, who also goes by the name 'Wren', has gone missing from Hedge End and was last seen at Fareham train station on Sunday 13 July, at about 9.30am. "It is believed she may have travelled to the Plymouth area. "Elodie is described as white, about 5ft 7in tall, slim build, dark brown hair with blonde roots in a short bob. "She was last seen wearing a grey vest top, black cycle shorts, black Reebok trainers, and she was carrying a white Hello Kitty bag. Read more News "She was wearing two hair black hair clips in her hair. "Anyone with information about Elodie whereabouts are asked to please call 999 immediately, quoting reference number 44250312072." 2 Police have released a picture of Elodie, 15 Credit: Hampshire Police More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Most read in The Sun Like us on Facebook at
BBC News
12-07-2025
- BBC News
Horses enjoy cooling off with sea dip on trip to beach
Horses working on the Isle of Man's horse tramway have been given the day off to cool off in the sea on a trip to the beach. Elodie and Maggie were led onto the sand at Douglas harbour for a frolic in the shallows during the summer at the historical Douglas Bay Horse Tramway said the "beautiful" animals, aged eight and 10, enjoyed their well-deserved cooldown. The horse-pulled trams along Douglas promenade are set to celebrate their 150th birthday next year on 7 August. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
