Bryce Tickner Spreading Cancer Awareness at the Poker Tables
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The calendar has turned to December, and for many men, that means it's time to shave off the facial hair they've been cultivating as part of "Movember," a movement to raise awareness about men's health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer.
One man who has been proudly rocking an awesome handlebar moustache all month could be found grinding at The Star Sydney in Australia, doing his part for the movement: 63-year-old Bryce Tickner.
A regular on the Australian live poker circuit, Tickner has been playing poker since picking it up while serving in the Australian Army from 1973-1979. With results dating back to 2007 on his poker tournament resume and close to $72,000 in live winnings, Tickner is the very definition of your everyday working man recreational player.
'I Just Talk to Men About it'
Affable and surprisingly upbeat, the former opal mines inspector knows better than anyone the risks prostate cancer poses to men — Tickner was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer close to three years ago.
"My health troubles started five to six years ago," he said on break of the $5K Challenge at the WSOP Circuit. "It’s been everything from getting diagnosed with a brain tumor leading to everything else — heart problems, a triple bypass operation and then a diagnosis of prostate cancer, and then subsequent treatment not being able to remove the cancer.
"Everything is organized, now I’m just running amok and having fun"
"My point is, with men, it’s about being aware of prostate cancer, and not being scared of the doctor sticking a finger up your arse — because that’s not how they check for that these days."
These days, testing for prostate cancer is done via a PSA test — a simple routine blood test used to determine the measurement of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) concentration in the blood, it is the primary method of testing for prostate cancer. Risk of developing prostate cancer increases with age, but that doesn’t mean it’s a disease that only affects old men. Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer in men worldwide.
"I just talk to men about it, I do it at the poker tables every time, because I think that we need to be more aware [of the early symptoms and the need for a regular health check up], and there needs to be some more support, because there’s not really that much support for blokes." Tickner said.
"I tell them at the table, ‘Don’t be a f*****g idiot, get checked,’ and I’ve had guys come back to me and say, ‘Hey mate, thanks, I went to get checked and they found it early enough…’ Because if you don’t find it early, that's when you can get serious problems and there are no support groups."
The Perfect Vehicle
Tickner feels that the generally male-dominated world of poker is the perfect vehicle for promoting cancer awareness for men.
"You’re starting to see on TV now about men's wellness, and I think one of the big poker companies, someone like PokerStars or someone, would be the perfect one to lead out in supporting [fighting] men's cancer, promoting the risks of prostate cancer.
"When you come and play poker, you sit down at the tables, you discuss issues with the guys on your table. I know that I’m dying eventually, on my terms. Cancer is… I’ve had my treatment and I’ve got a bad one. I’ve been sliced open [operated on] five times, they can’t operate on me again or I’ll bleed to death on the table, so I can’t afford to get crook [sick]."
Tickner added that he caught influenza last year due to his weakened immune system.
A former stand-up comic, he used to perform in his home town of Melbourne in the early 2000s and has a refreshingly positive outlook on life, considering his condition. To him, life is all about looking on the bright side. A perfect example is that he's made it more than a year since his diagnosis when he said 90% of people in his situation don't even get that long.
"I’ve got two daughters, four grandkids, we’ve all accepted it and had our conversations about all this," he said. "I’ve already got my grave picked out, my coffins already in Coober Pedy, everything is organized, now I’m just running amok and having fun."
"One thing I do suggest to all poker players — get a pacemaker," he joked. "It’s great, it keeps your heart rate down, it always stays at 75 beats per minute, there are no jugular veins popping out when you're playing, other players can’t get a read or tell on ya… [chuckles]."
Tickner stressed that he isn't looking for sympathy. He simply hopes to keep spreading awareness, and "any bloke" he helps makes it well worth his while.
For more information on Movember and men's cancer awareness, visit au.movember.com and you can also visit the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia official website.
