The barbecue lunch included presentations from representatives from the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia as well as a questions & answers component.
The event was supported by Bayer Australia as well as former Member for Robertson, Jim Lloyd, who has experienced his own battle with prostate cancer. Mr Lloyd shared his journey with attendees and took questions from the audience alongside Dr Reid.
Dr Reid said: “This lunch event is now in its third year, and I am pleased to see that it continues to grow bigger each year.
“There are some important health messages that are highlighted throughout the event with the key takeaway being that if you are a man 40 or over it is vital that you get a PSA test.
“Detecting cancer early gives you your best shot at beating the illness and getting back to living your life to the fullest.
“This year we had over 100 attendees from across the community participate in the event.
“I thank Bayer Australia for again supporting this barbecue lunch and to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia for providing its expertise and knowledge on the day.
The third Big Aussie Barbecue took place at the Davistown RSL on May 20. Dr Reid continues to run forums covering a range of topics relevant to the community. For more information, contact Dr Reid’s office on (02) 4322 2400 or email [email protected]
More information about prostate cancer can be retrieved from the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia website: https://www.pcfa.org.au/
Kidney health forum highlights importance of reoveention
Federal Member for Robertson, Dr Gordon Reid, hosted a kidney health forum in partnership with AstraZeneca and Kidney Health Australia.
The forum covered important ways to ensure good kidney health including a regular kidney health check with your GP. The discussion also identified key demographics that are at a higher risk of kidney disease including elderly, people living with diabetes, people who are overweight, suffer from hypertension, smokers/vapers, and people with a family history.
The forum included several guest speakers who are experts in kidney healthcare. Guest speakers included nephrologist Dr Vidu Wijeratne, nurse practitioner Vasif Abdul Latheef, kidney health advocate, Amanda Sluiter, and Lydia Lauder from Kidney Health Australia.
Dr Reid said: "Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is mostly a silent disease, it affects more than 2.5 million Australians, but only about 10% of people with the disease are diagnosed.
“In the Robertson electorate, Kidney Health Australia estimates 1793 people are diagnosed with CKD—but as many as 16,717 may be living with CKD and unaware.
“Therefore, it is so important for people to consult their GP about symptoms and get a kidney health check.
“It was fantastic to see the forum well attended and plenty of people wanting to know more information about prevention strategies.
“A big thank you to AstraZeneca for supporting the event as well as Kidney Health Australia, and local healthcare professionals.”
For more information about kidney health, visit Kidney Health Australia: https://kidney.org.au/
