04 June 2026
MatesCONNECT: Offering a listening ear and a mate who understands
When men are first diagnosed with prostate cancer, the path ahead can feel uncertain, isolating and overwhelming.
That is why MatesCONNECT plays such an important role in PCFA’s Support Network, giving men the opportunity to speak with a trained volunteer who understands what they are going through.
For Mike Watson, becoming a MatesCONNECT volunteer was a way to give back after experiencing the value of peer support through a PCFA-affiliated support group.
“I received a lot of inspiration, information, hope and comradeship from joining a PCFA-affiliated support group and wanted to pass on those things to newly diagnosed men,” Mike says.
MatesCONNECT is a telephone-based program that connects newly diagnosed men with trained volunteers who have lived experience of prostate cancer.
The program does not provide medical advice. Instead, it offers something equally important: a listening ear, reassurance, shared understanding and hope.
“For me it is about listening and offering hope,” Mike says.
“Prostate cancer is more than just a physical issue. There is a lot of mental and emotional stress that is associated with it.”
Through MatesCONNECT, men can speak openly with someone who has faced many of the same fears, questions and challenges. That connection can also help men take the next step towards local peer support.
Mike recalls speaking with a younger man, Scott, more than a year ago. During their conversation, Mike mentioned that his support group was meeting soon and offered to meet Scott there and introduce him to the group.
Scott came along, listened, spoke with others, joined the group and accessed the information he needed to make the right decision for himself.
He is now an active member of the support group, and Mike has since referred younger men to Scott so they can hear from someone closer to their own age.
“It offers a listening ear by someone with lived experience that has been through the ups and downs of prostate cancer and has come out the other side,” Mike says.
“By talking and sharing, we can also help the healing process.”
For Support Group Leaders, MatesCONNECT is another way to extend the reach of peer support and help men and their families feel less alone.
“It is easy to access, confidential and encourages men to reach out, to share, to learn, to listen and to help each other,” Mike says.
Through programs like MatesCONNECT, PCFA’s support network continues to connect men with understanding, encouragement and practical pathways to support when they need it most.
