November 27, 2025

Raising awareness and funds for prostate cancer research at St. Joe’s

In Canada, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men. Yet most men have no symptoms of the disease and aren’t even aware that they have it. That was the case for Don Rees. 

At 65 years of age, Don felt like he was in great health until a slightly elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) result in a routine blood test had him referred to a urologist for an exam and an MRI scan. Two lesions were detected in his prostate, and biopsy results confirmed that Don had an aggressive form of prostate cancer that needed to be removed to prevent it from spreading. 

“I was in shock,” says Don, a former corporate CEO and a current resident of Halton Hills. “I was always diligent about my health. My PSA numbers weren’t very high either, but this was a severe type of cancer. I was told surgery was my only option.” 

That’s when Don was sent to Dr. Bobby Shayegan, Chief of Surgery at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. A nationally recognized expert in prostate cancer surgery, Dr. Shayegan performs some of the highest volumes of robotic-assisted prostate cancer surgeries in the country and trains other surgeons on how to leverage the da Vinci Xi surgical robot to deliver better outcomes and faster healing to men living with prostate cancer. 

After receiving his diagnosis in January of 2023, Don was put on a surgery cancellation list and had his radical prostatectomy surgery at St. Joe’s seven months later. Now, two years on, his PSA is non-detectable, and he only checks in with Dr. Shayegan every six months as part of his protocol.

“I don’t think he recognizes the reach and impact he’s had on his patients, on the community of men going through this,” says Don. “There was a tremendous approach to my care by Dr. Shayegan and his team. Their expertise, and by extension the whole Hospital’s expertise, has been remarkable.” 

Don’s captured his career, personal experiences and lessons learned in a new memoir, Extraordinary Lessons from an Ordinary Life. The book also documents his prostate cancer journey and proceeds from all book sales will support prostate cancer research at St. Joe’s. 

“My book is about leaving a legacy, but it’s also about raising money and awareness for prostate cancer. Too many men don’t know what prostate cancer is, how common it is, or even what a PSA test is. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run into people who have it, and each has their own story to tell. It’s important for this community of men to share their experiences with each other and learn about how this disease is treatable. The robotic technology that’s now available is incredible,” says Don. 

St. Joe’s is the regional lead for urologic care and prostate cancer surgery, performing over 250 of these innovative surgeries annually – the vast majority of which are performed robotically. For more information about robotic surgery at St. Joe’s, please visit Surgical Robotics | St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation.