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"The Mad Butcher" Peter Leitch has spoken out about his battle with a rare and aggressive form of bladder cancer.
A tireless supporter of the Warriors and an ambassador for Allergy New Zealand, the Prostate Foundation and Diabetes Auckland, Leitch is focussing on getting New Zealand men to pay more attention to their health.
Having long been a men's health advocate and preaching the importance of seeing the doctor, Leitch followed his own advice and saw his GP when he felt something "wasn't quite right".
"Nobody knows your body better than yourself," he told TV ONE's Breakfast.
"If I hadn't gone, I'd be looking at a death sentence," he says. "Whereas now there is a bright light the end of the tunnel."
Leitch is pushing men to take their health seriously, saying early detection can help prevent fatal illness.
Leitch says his brother left it too late, having died of bowel cancer.
Leitch says it is a Kiwi macho thing which may be holding men in New Zealand back from seeing the doctor. "Maybe it's a 'I'll be right' thing ... but sometimes it's not alright."
