Sydney AFLW coach Scott Gowans is calling on others to get checked for prostate cancer after being diagnosed with the illness.
While the former North Melbourne and current Swans boss will undergo surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, he may not have been so lucky if non-routine tests hadn’t detected cancer.
He had no symptoms when his doctor flagged an abnormality in tests for a separate issue allowing them to pick up the issue.
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“If there’s one positive to take from this it’s that the tumour can be removed and hasn’t spread, which may not have been the case if it wasn’t discovered so early,” Gowans said.
“I’m extremely lucky that my doctor pushed for further investigation into something that wasn’t quite right – I didn’t have any symptoms and I was otherwise feeling OK.
“What I hadn’t done was have a check-up for prostate cancer, so if there’s one message to come from this experience it’s to get checked, and urge your loved ones to get checked, because it could save their life.”
Gowans will step away from the club for six weeks with assistant Nick Davis to step into the senior role on an interim basis.
