“Put your hand up and ask for help,” he said.
“If there is something wrong, put your hand up and ask for help because you will be blown away with the response that you get.”
Schwarz , who played 173 games for the Demons, was one of the guest speakers at the Echuca Moama Biggest Blokes Lunch held at Echuca Racecourse last Friday.
He spoke to the room of more than 300 men in attendance, sharing stories from his battles with gambling and addiction and the importance of men’s health.
The event raised money to fund the position of a prostate cancer specialist nurse at Echuca Regional Health, things Schwarz said were vital to the community.
“I think when you have 300 males together and to be able to spread that message to the community is really, really important,” he said.
“And the bonus is that we get to raise some really good money. $450,000 over the first nine years, which then allows nurses to be based here and it makes a huge difference.
“This is a small community, we might save five or six lives this year, we might save 20 lives. And if we do that, then we are doing our jobs.”
He said a key takeaway for the day was being proactive rather than reactive.
“Look for warning signs and get checked regularly. It is important to be on top of it and be able to talk about it — it is not a shameful thing to have prostate issues.”
The big forward had three knee reconstructions during his career, but said those injuries paled in comparison to the risk of prostate cancer.
“Knees get better, but prostate cancer, that is the nasty stuff,” he said.
“A knee is nothing — it gets fixed, no problem. With cancer, sometimes you don’t get a second chance.”
Schwarz spent 12 seasons at Melbourne, playing both with and against some fantastic footballers.
“The best I played with was Allen Jakovich. Pound-for-pound, he was unbelievable. He was the most talented by the length of a straight,” he said.
“The best I ever saw in the flesh was Gary Ablett Sr, I thought there was no-one better.”
8°C