"There's a nasty little animal that needs to get out of my body"

To explain how things are with him, Klaus-Dieter Petersen resorts to a visual comparison. "There's a nasty little animal that needs to get out of my body," he says. The former national handball player has made cancer public.

In an interview with BILD AM SONNTAG, the 54-year-old European champion from 2004 reported that prostate cancer was discovered during a check-up last September. "I survived the operation and the rehabilitation well," said the former defender of the German record champions THW Kiel.

The abdomen is healing, but he assumes that he will not be able to use his abdominal muscles properly for another six months. "The stomach is full of scars, so at first I felt a bit like a Swiss cheese," he said.

The cancer was discovered at an early stage, so the lymphatic system was not affected and radiation or chemotherapy was not necessary. "With the Da Vinci method, in which a robot supports the surgeon, we have succeeded in sparing the nerve tracts that are important for continence and the ability to have an erection," reported Petersen.

When asked whether he had had symptoms such as pain before the diagnosis, he underlined the insidious nature of the disease: "None. That's what makes the disease so dangerous. Only after the operation did I realize that people were snipping around down there.” Based on his experience, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist and 2003 World Cup silver medalist advised men to take precautions. "Early detection is the be-all and end-all. I can only advise everyone to keep to the preventive medical check-ups. If, like me, something comes out of it, you have a chance to be cured," said Petersen.

In the future, there should be more time for friends and family. “I want to organize my time management a bit differently, take more time for myself and my family. That means: I'm not always just the garbage collector for others, but can also move a bit forward myself," emphasized Petersen.

Medical check-ups can save lives – especially in the case of cancer. Nevertheless, they are often neglected. Common reasons: ignorance, lack of appointments, fear of the findings. In this episode WELT HEALTH, Hendrik Streeck and Franca Lehfeldt summarize the most important check-ups.

Source: WORLD