'I was very lucky': WAU boss's quest to raise cancer awareness

One day, Bruce Stewart was fighting fit, enjoying life as Walkinshaw Andretti United CEO. The next, he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Despite being fit, healthy, and with no obvious symptoms at just 53 years old, Stewart got news no one wanted, and needed to take action.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, accounting for 16% of all cancers diagnosed and for nearly one in three of all cancers diagnosed among men.

Each year, more than 26,000 Australian men are diagnosed, and nearly 4000 Australian men will die from the disease. It took a stroke of luck for Stewart to be diagnosed, and catching it early proved life-saving.

“In April last year, just before New Zealand, I got very sick suddenly and I ended up in hospital with septicaemia and an infection in my body,” Stewart told Supercars.com.

“After I spent a week in hospital, they put me on a monthly blood test just to see where it was going. In September, the doctor said they'd seen a trend in my PSA.

“Following a biopsy, I was told in October that I had prostate cancer and it was Stage 2. I was very lucky because it was detected early, but it could still do significant harm and spread pretty quickly.

"So, I elected to have a robotic prostatectomy in December, straight after the end of the season.”

Now in remission, Stewart is determined to spread the word, via The Long Run.

Stewart has partnered with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) to encourage Australians to cover at least 72km throughout Prostate Cancer Awareness Month – a symbolic distance honouring the 72 men diagnosed with the disease each day.

PCFA is on a mission to reach zero deaths from the disease by investing in research, awareness, and vital support services for men and their families.

Through his battle, Stewart touched base with the likes of Supercars Hall of Famer Neil Crompton, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021 — himself getting lucky after steering, ironically, a WAU Commodore.

"It was pretty jarring to hear the word, ‘cancer’. But I was fortunate to have people around who gave me advice,” Stewart said.

“Notably, Neil Crompton talked me through it, and Rob Herrod it to a certain extent. Long story short, within a few months, I’m back going to every race, working hard.

“I can't believe it actually happened. I discovered it by accident, and it would otherwise have shortened my race considerably. Because I'm so lucky, I thought I should put my story out there and try and help some other guys get lucky.”

The PCFA is urging men across Australia to get a PSA blood test, warning that gaps in testing rates could lead to later diagnoses and poorer outcomes.

"I thought I was bulletproof, I was pissing like a race horse, I had no symptoms,” Stewart said.

“Thank heavens the doctors were so persistent. I want to raise awareness to show that it can attack anyone, and it’s important that men can talk about it. No one is bulletproof, and it could be curtains if you don’t listen to your body.

“I understand that blokes don’t want to talk about it very much because it’s a pretty personal area of the body. But if people go and get checked, and heaven forbid they find that it at early stages, it could save their lives.”

“I don’t want to sound cheesy, but we're going into enduro season, and I want my stay on this earth to be in an endurance race. I didn’t want to be unlucky and be put in a sprint.

“Blokes, just go and get your PSA every six months if you’re over the age of 40. If there's anything there and someone says for you to sit and wait, push harder and just get a urologist to look.

“It’s only going to be a short pit stop and then you’ll be back in the race. You won’t regret it.”