A senior cancer nurse, Matt Riddleston, 59, has urged men to listen to their bodies and “get checked out” after his own diagnosis with stage 4 prostate cancer.
Mr Riddleston, from Chelmsford, Essex, who lives with his wife Kate, 55, said his 32-year career in cancer care, including 20 years as a lead nurse at his local hospital, allowed him to “fulfil a sense of duty” after starting in the field in 1993.
He admitted feeling “immune to everything we treat our patients for” before his diagnosis.
His personal health battle began in early 2022. As a father-of-three, he initially dismissed persistent fatigue, attributing it to the demands of working hard as a nurse through the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, as “more classic symptoms of prostate cancer” such as urinary problems emerged, further tests confirmed a diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer in July 2022.
Mr Riddleston described living with the disease as an “unwanted passenger”.
Having undergone hormone treatment, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, Mr Riddleston is currently in a monitoring phase. Yet, he admits to feeling “forever waiting” for the inevitable progression of the disease, stating it is a matter of “when not if”.
Mr Riddleston will tackle Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour De 4 cycling challenge in Glasgow on Sunday, 7 September. The gruelling 56-mile route aims to raise awareness, fundraise, and support the movement initiated by Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy following his own prostate cancer diagnosis.
“Nurses, healthcare professionals, we think we’re immune to everything that we treat our patients for, so I didn’t even think of cancer at first,” Matt told PA Real Life.
“As men, we’re notoriously poor at looking after ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally.
“Men – be kind to yourselves, listen to your body and don’t be afraid to go and get checked out.
“It’s much better to be seen, checked and get the necessary support.”
Matt started working as a cancer nurse in 1993 at the age of 32, before he went on to spend 20 years as the lead cancer nurse at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.
Since 2023, he has worked as a lead clinical nurse specialist at the site, looking after a cohort of cancer patients within a telephone clinic who use oral medications to treat the disease.
“We provide their ongoing care, support, reviews and medication changes,” Matt explained.
Describing his 32-year career as a cancer nurse, Matt said it has allowed him to “fulfil a sense of duty”.
“I feel very strongly on public service, commitment, helping others and contributing,” he said.
“I’m very lucky and privileged to have had the career I’ve had, and hopefully along the way I’ve helped people and made their lives a bit easier during an awful time.”
In early 2022, Matt noticed he was “tired a lot of the time” and having a passion for cycling, he recalled experiencing “a lot of back pain” during the activity.
Matt put this down to working hard throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, but after having “more classic symptoms of prostate cancer”, such as urinary issues, he went to see his GP in April 2022.
There, it was found Matt had a “hard, irregular prostate”, and he was referred for a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test where high levels could indicate a prostate condition, according to the NHS.
Matt recalled receiving his PSA result while at work, where a colleague noted he suddenly went “ashen”.
“My PSA level was very elevated so at that point, I knew things weren’t going to be very good,” he said.
“I just felt like vomiting all over my computer, it was a really visceral, violent reaction.”
In May 2022, Matt was diagnosed with prostate cancer following a biopsy.
After having further scans and being referred to The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, he was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer during the first week of July 2022.
“Some days are better than others, some are worse,” he said.
“You’re living with that unwanted guest, that unwanted passenger and you’re stuck with it.
“I kind of think of myself as Matt the nurse and Matt the patient – I haven’t fully reconciled myself to Matt the patient just yet.”
With his lengthy career as a cancer nurse, Matt said he “knows too much” which is often “not helpful”.
“The healthcare professionals that look after me are amazing, and I don’t need to, but I sit there and make suggestions,” he said.
“It gives me an element of control and they humour me along the way, which I’m very grateful for.
“The thing is, you never are in control with cancer and that’s one of the most frightening aspects for me – it’s panic stations really.
“You’re just waiting for it to become more active and rear its ugly head.”
When he was diagnosed, Matt started androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a hormone treatment which reduces testosterone levels to prevent prostate cancer cell growth.
He then underwent six cycles of chemotherapy followed by daily radiotherapy treatment from March to April in 2023.
He will now continue the ADT treatment while his cancer is monitored.
Matt has continued working throughout, although he now does not look after prostate cancer patients after feeling this was “too close to home”.
“I can be quite compartmentalised in my job and you have to be mindful that you don’t project your own feelings and emotions into it,” he said.
“But obviously, I do feel I have a greater understanding of what it’s like to live with a life-limiting condition.
“I’ve never walked in those shoes, but now I’m walking in them everyday.”
At present, Matt said he is “relatively well” and his PSA level is low, but he is “forever waiting” for a blood test which may indicate the disease is progressing.
“There are other lines of treatment to explore when I progress – and it’s when not if,” he said.
On Sunday, 7 September, Matt will be taking part in Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour De 4 cycling challenge in Glasgow, accompanied by his life-long friend David Abbott, 59.
The event, inspired by Hoy’s own stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis, encourages those directly or indirectly affected by the disease to come together to raise awareness.
Matt is fundraising for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity with the challenge, raising more than £2,000 so far, and he and David will tackle the red route – a 56-mile ride with an elevation of 3,772 ft.
“Those of us with stage 4 cancer, we don’t all look ravaged and unhealthy – we’re still capable, able, we still want to contribute, so there’s a lot in it for me,” Matt said.
“Sir Chris Hoy is a great cyclist and his story is equally terrible as well, so to provide a bit of support to his movement is a really good thing to do.
“I’m looking forward to it, we’re in it for the fun of it and we’ll get round with big smiles on our faces.”
To find out more about Matt’s fundraiser, visit his GoFundMe page through this link.
