Hearing you have cancer can be scary, but doesn’t mean your life’s over – Te Ururoa Flavell

Te Ururoa Flavell getting treatment for prostate cancer. Photo / Supplied
Former MP Te Ururoa Flavell – who was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year – has gone from planning his own tangi to fronting a support page to help others on the same prostate cancer journey.
On Sunday, Flavell, who lives in Rotorua, will compete in Pedal4Prostate alongside 160 other bike riders at Hampton Downs to raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ. They support the 42,000 Kiwi men and their whānau living with prostate cancer.
Flavell, completed chemotherapy and radiation treatment earlier this year, said the day he learned he had prostate cancer in September 2023, was bitter sweet.
“The day I found out was the same day my wife (Erana) received confirmation that her doctorate had met all standards for her PHD she had been working towards for a number of years, so it was a day of immense highs and lows,” Flavell, 68, told the Herald.
“The next day was also her birthday, and we had a lot of whānau around, so everyone was there together, it really knocked me and everyone around me. As it happened we were visiting her thesis supervisor who also had cancer.”
Flavell said after his initial shock, reality set in and he started planning his own tangi.
“After that initial shock, your heart and your head sinks and I started planning ahead for my tangi,” Flavell said.
“Then I realised that I was still healthy, I can walk, I can run, I had no symptoms, so decided to throw everything I could to get it sorted.
“That involved both western and Māori medicine. I finished chemotherapy at the start of this year and a round of radiotherapy in April. I remain on hormone treatment.”
Flavell has also started a Facebook page called Living with my new mate to support others who are going through the same treatment.
“I decided to tell my story and share my journey so I can help others,” Flavell said.
“I’ve set up a Facebook page called Living with my new Mate and an Instagram account that’s about facing cancer head-on and opening up about health and cancer.
“I know for many, hearing you have cancer can be scary, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that your life’s over. You can come through it with the right mindset and support. You and people around must stay positive. That is half the battle.”
He said when it comes to Māori males, the statistics are even worse.
“Māori men are less likely to be screened for prostate cancer than non-Māori men, they are about 20% less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and are 50% more likely to die from the disease once diagnosed,” Flavell said.
“What I’ve realised through this process is that Māori men don’t talk about their health. We don’t tell people what’s going on and when we do get cancer, we’re not going to the support groups or getting educated. We don’t have good access to the healthcare system either.
Flavell said he has been training on and off for Sunday’s race.
“I’ve been going to the gym since the start of the year, but I conked out once going a bit hard early on, so I’ve had to live within my means and get comfortable to progress slowly,” he said.
“I’ve been back on the bike for three or four rides now and been out for some two-hour rides with the team who are riding alongside me. So I have been training with my mates in a general sense since I came through the chemo treatment in February.”
Looking back, Flavell said he was fortunate that he has been an active person all his life, and that probably saved his life.
“I’ve always been a fit person and my doctors told me, it played a huge part. They suggested that had it not been for my fitness I would have struggled more with both treatment and recovery. I have been very lucky,” Flavell said.
The schedule: Sunday, October 6, Hampton Downs 8.45am – First riders head on to the track. 9am – Race begins. 1pm – Race ends.
Joseph Los’e is an award winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for Urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.