There was absolutely no reason that Stephen Hoffman and I should have met.
A truck driver happily living and working in Gore, Mr Hoffman was not one of the great or good, nor did he do anything to earn notoriety.
But a sad and sorry chain of events started unravelling in September 2016, setting off a series of misfortunes which led him to ring the Otago Daily Times three years later and ask for the health reporter.
That day in 2019 the newspaper had run details of a scathing Health and Disability Commission report into lengthy delays in the Southern District Health Board’s urology department.
Five case studies giving perspective to what had gone wrong had been published.
"My name is Stephen Hoffman and I am ‘Patient B’," the caller said.
None of the stories in the article were happy, but Patient B’s was particularly profound.
His prostate issues had been discovered by his GP in September 2016, and he had immediately been assessed by a nurse specialist as having a high suspicion of cancer.
He should have been seen quickly but due to delays he was eventually called up to attend a special clinic for overdue cases the following February, in 2017.
He was booked for a biopsy, classed as "A" urgency, and his name had a circle around it and an asterisk beside it.
Despite that, when Patient B contacted the urology service in March, he was told he was not in the system and would not be seen until May or June. Far from satisfied, Patient B agitated for a biopsy, which was performed in April. Weeks later an MRI found almost his entire prostate replaced with tumour.
A radical prostatectomy was performed in July, but cancer had spread to other parts of his body.
"My prostate was totally full of cancer," Mr Hoffman said.
"It was so full of cancer it was sticking out the sides. That was after seven months, whereas it should have only been two-three weeks before I had a biopsy."
Mr Hoffman was an interviewer’s dream.
Not only was he colourful, direct and articulate, he also turned up to the Otago Daily Times office armed with facts, figures and documents.
He was laden down with copies of all the interactions between himself and the health system, and Mr Hoffman had filled several pages in an A4 pad with details of appointments with doctors and what he was told.
"It’s an enormous list and if they had dealt with it right at the start, as they should have, within 61 days, I would be out driving a truck now," he said.
"What the hospital and government need to realise is that if someone has something that needs to be done, get it done now. It’s cheaper to fix someone, rather than let it fester into a mess."
Mr Hoffman, 64 at the time, had plans.
The son of Sylvester and Agnus Hoffman, he had been educated at Lime Hills School at Garston and then St Peter’s at Gore. A qualified auto electrician, he had been married to Denise (nee Bacon) since 1977. They had raised son Bryce and daughter Lisa, and had two grandsons.
He was a gifted photographer and had won many awards for this in his younger years; he went on to do many sets of wedding photographs for locals.
But Mr Hoffman wanted to travel, and intended to keep driving his truck until the age of 70 to finance that dream.
He tried. But operating a heavy vehicle while wearing a catheter and leg bag was beyond him, and while the cocktail of drugs he was on meant that the cancer subsided, it had not receded to the extent that Mr Hoffman could resume a normal life.
Under no illusions about his fate, Mr Hoffman set to work in a new role — health advocate.
Stephen Hoffman did not want prominence, nor did he wish for revenge on those who had wronged him.
A lot of people tell journalists that they have only spoken out about their misfortune because they want to raise awareness and help others to avoid their fate.
Steve meant that sincerely, and he adamantly and repeatedly stressed to me that "I’m not in it for me, I’m in it for the other people out there".
He was no one-hit wonder either. As well as occasionally contacting me to advise on what progress, if any, he was making, he would also let me know if he had heard anything more from the then chief executive of the Southern District Health Board, Chris Fleming.
As well as being a frequent and enthusiastic correspondent with Mr Fleming, fate seemed determined that the paths of the two men would continue to cross — they often coincidentally bumped into each other on the street.
Mr Hoffman could have been an irritant to a busy man like Mr Fleming.
He may well have been in the beginning ... but eventually he became an inspiration.
Stephen Hoffman lingered in Mr Fleming’s mind long after other crises had slipped from the headlines.
"The things he said back then, that hurt me a lot, but not because of what he said but because I knew what he was saying was true," Mr Fleming said in an ODT interview in 2022.
"At the end of the day there were many Stephen Hoffmans caught in the crossfire: it does hurt, but it also poses the challenge of how can you make sure that you don’t allow that to continue and that you do actually get a sustainable improvement."
That would have been music to Mr Hoffman’s ears, as all he wanted was a better health system which would not fail others like it had failed him.
Stephen Hoffman never got to drive his truck again. He died on May 26 aged 68, two years short of his intended retirement age.
His last wish was that the Otago Daily Times publish his obituary, and that it be one last chance for his message about the importance of the early detection and treatment of cancer to be aired.
You have your wish "Patient B". May it achieve what you wish.
PROSTATE CANCER
What is it?
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer (apart from skin cancers) in New Zealand. Every year more than 4000 people are diagnosed with the disease and more than 700 die from it. It is caused by abnormal cells developing in the prostate. Doctors do not know what causes it, but they do know that the growth of cancer cells is stimulated by male hormones, especially testosterone. In some men the cancer grows very slowly (called indolent), in others growth is more rapid (aggressive).
Risk factors
Men are more likely to develop prostate cancer as they get older. It is also more common in men who have a father or brother with prostate cancer, and in families who carry certain genes. Māori men have a slightly lower incidence of prostate cancer but have a higher death rate than other New Zealand men. Overall, the number of men diagnosed in New Zealand is increasing, largely due to increased rates of testing and the death rate is slowly dropping, largely due to better outcomes from early diagnosis and improved treatments available.
What are the symptoms?
Prostate cancer can develop silently and remain undetected for some time, without causing symptoms. Symptoms include: feeling the frequent or sudden need to urinate, especially at night; finding it difficult or uncomfortable to urinate; finding blood in urine or semen; pain in lower back, upper thighs or hips; bone pain, unexpected weight loss.
Can it be treated?
Yes, but the earlier prostate cancer is detected the better chance of treatment being successful.
Source: Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ
