He said he would find out in September if the treatment was working.<\/p>\n
This week, Shirley said they went for a check-up and discovered the treatment had not helped. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe cancer had spread through his bones,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that point, they said it was pointless carrying on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shirley said Daniel was still \u201cdetermined\u201d despite going into palliative care.<\/p>\n
He remained active amid multiple hospital admissions for blood transfusions, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt got to the stage when the blood transfusions weren\u2019t working, and then it was more or less two weeks later, he passed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel Hazelwood (front) pictured with his family at his daughter, Kristy Hazelwood’s, wedding. From left to right: Son-in-law William Newman, daughter Jessica Hazelwood, wife Shirley Hazelwood, daughter Mikayla Hazelwood, daughter Kristy Hazelwood, son-in-law Cody Broad, daughter Leigha Hazelwood, and son-in-law Brandon Grose. Photo \/ Kushla and Co<\/p>\n
Shirley said they had been together for 43 years, 39 of those married.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis absence is the loudest silence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shirley said he had been fighting to stay alive to see his granddaughters born, which he missed out on.<\/p>\n
The first was born in January this year, and the second in March.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is really, really sad, but in the meantime, we had two daughters married. He hung on to that with all his life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shirley said he was a loyal friend and a man of integrity \u201cwho lived out his faith and helped wherever he was needed\u201c.<\/p>\n
Blue Walk fundraiser for the Prostate Cancer Foundation <\/p>\n
Shirley said their family and the Rotorua Rotary Club had organised a Blue Walk to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.<\/p>\n
Blue September is the foundation\u2019s annual awareness month.<\/p>\n
Shirley said the family-friendly walk would start at the Village Green on the Rotorua Lakefront on September 25 at 5.30pm.<\/p>\n
Participants are encouraged to wear blue, and there will be spot prizes.<\/p>\n
Registration open one hour before the walk and cost $10 for participants aged 13 and older. For children 12 and younger, it costs $2 or a koha (donation).<\/p>\n
There would be a sausage sizzle beforehand.<\/p>\n
Shirley said the family had organised the walk to continue Daniel\u2019s \u201clegacy\u201d of encouraging men to get checked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat mattered most to him was not his own struggle but the mission he carried so deeply in his heart to urge men to get checked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would often say, \u2018If all my effort helps even just one man, then it\u2019s worth it, because that one man is someone\u2019s husband, father, son, grandson, or friend\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Prostate Cancer Foundation said more than 700 New Zealand men died from prostate cancer annually.<\/p>\n
Consultant urologist Jim Duthie said men older than 50 needed to embrace regular health monitoring.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot having visited a GP in 20 years is not a badge of honour,\u201d Duthie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA yearly health check should be as routine as getting your car\u2019s WOF \u2013 as much for your own sake as for those who love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Duthie said a diagnosis impacted the whole wh\u0101nau.<\/p>\n
The risk of developing it increased by up to 11 times if a first or second-degree relative had prostate or breast cancer, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your GP isn\u2019t offering you a regular PSA test, you need to start asking as soon as you hit the 50 milestone, and even earlier if you have a family history of the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foundation chief executive Peter Dickens said the disease was \u201chighly treatable\u201d when detected early.<\/p>\n