Followmont Transport boss Mark Tobin and Brett Hanly — better known as “Knuckles” from Country Trucker Caps — have teamed up to launch a new charity initiative urging Aussie blokes to take charge of their health and get tested for prostate cancer.
Queensland prostate cancer survivor Phillip McCann, 66, applauded the pair’s important message and was happy to share his story with Big Rigs to help kickstart the Get Yourself Checked foundation’s campaign.
McCann, who has had his truck licence for more than 40 years but now works as a fly-in-fly-out plant operator, said a simple blood test while working on the new Sydney Airport set him on a life-saving path.
At the time he recorded a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) reading of 2.4 nanograms per millilitre – anything higher than 2.5 raises alarms – but just nine months later, after feeling “a bit off” a follow-up test showed his PSA had spiked to 10 (it was 11 a week later).
After a hastily arranged biopsy confirmed he had prostate cancer, McCann was told he had three choices: he could have the prostate removed, radiation, but that was probably too late, or do nothing at all and only live another 12 months.
With radiation ruled out due to the size of the tumour, McCann opted for surgery in 2022 and spent six hours on the table.
After an initial anxious moment when the surgeon feared he hadn’t got it all out, a relieved McCann is now almost in the clear – he has just one final 12-month blood check to come in June this year.
“I’d be telling everybody to go and get it done [the test],” said McCann who has also found love since the life-saving operation.
“I thought I was right, but for that to happen in nine months [the PSA spike], you never know. I was preparing for the worst.”
With an alarming one in six men diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, Tobin and Hanly say they’re not pulling any punches with their campaign which they plan to officially launch as a not-for-profit foundation later this year.
The entrepreneurial pair, who’ve been best mates for years, bonding over a shared love of travel, philanthropy and a mutual predilection for “cutting through the bullshit”, are determined to drive awareness around early detection, especially among regional men.
Their first major fundraising event, set for October 11 at the Royal International Convention Centre in Brisbane is expected to bring 700 people together to support the cause.
Best mates Mark Tobin, left, and Brett Hanly with the truck and trailer that’s helping to spread the important health message. Image: Followmont Transport
The goal is to raise $1 million in the first year to fund essential medical equipment, support research, and raise awareness, particularly in regional communities.
“This [Get Yourself Checked] is about getting the funds to the right people so they make a difference and change people’s perceptions around Australia about prostate cancer,” Tobin said.
“I’m not worried about the how because we will do it – I’m not going to give up.
“To do that we’re going to run a professional foundation, with structure and strategy, as I run my business – and using myself and Brett as the vehicle because of our contacts and profiles.”
Tobin, who has a close family and friends’ history with the deadly disease and gets himself checked every six months, said it all starts with a quick and easy blood test.
“It’s not as invasive as it used to be, and yet, too many men are still avoiding it. Our mission is to change that, and we’re going to do it with everything we’ve got.”
As part of the charity’s awareness campaign, the team has unveiled a stunning new rolling billboard with trailers designed by Vawdrey in Dandenong and the powerful ‘1 in 6’ and early detection message.
The eye-catching Kenworth B-double will be part of the Brisbane to Mackay shuttle for Followmont and will be driven by a proud Ryan Hocking, who said he’s honoured to be spreading such an important message across the state.
“Our biggest push for awareness is in the regions – farmers and others on the land probably don’t even think, ‘Do I need to get checked?’,” Tobin said.
“It’s also about using this network to get that word out, ‘Guys, we want this to save your lives’ and let them know that you can still have a normal lifestyle if you get on top of this.”
Tobin said he’d also like the charity, which already has full-time Foundation Events Manager Krystina Parker at the helm, to help improve the broader perception of truckies as professionals who take pride in their work and their health.
He said they have a hard enough job as it is battling many obstacles, from poor roads, lack of rest areas and too many unhealthy meal options, all while dealing with negative truckie stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream media.
“It’s about sending that positive message out to the media to try and change that perception, and that’s a part of what we do every day at Followmont,” said Tobin who won the Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry prize at the National Trucking Industry Awards in Adelaide earlier this week.
To stay updated on the official launch of the foundation, follow the Instagram page @getyourselfchecked_au, and/or like Get Yourself Checked on Facebook.
The post Driver shares survival story to help life-saving new health campaign appeared first on Big Rigs.
