Hi Dawn,
It is utterly devastating to have a cancer diagnosis, as much for family as the person diagnosed. You will feel as if your world has been turned upside down for some time because of the shock and uncertainty. It may help to download the PCUK toolkit from this site, lots of useful information adout the disease, treatments, practical concerns, relationship and family implications. No one can say for sure how long your Dad may live. PCa is a very individual disease and it's no telling how your Dad will react until the treatments take effect. Gleason 9 is an aggressive score, but you dont say, for instance, wheter the cancer is contained in the prostate, locally advanced or advanced, all of which have a bearing on treatments and life expectancy ? There are men on the site who have high Gleason scores who have responded well to treatment and who are still around years after diagnosis, every man is different and there are some types of PCa which have a worse prognosis than others. There are many more treatment options than years ago, all, sadly, with side effects, but which may prolong life considerably. Are there any Clinical trials that have been suggested for your Dad. Many men here are on the Stampede Trial for instance if diagnosed with advanced PCa. You will get lots of support here, we are all in the same boat so to speak, Pca having touched our lives in one way or another. If you can give some more detail about your Dad, eg, has he had any scans, etc to detect posssible spread elsewhere, the more people will be able to advise and support you. It is likely there will be lots of people along to comment, no doubt some in the same situation as your Dad plus we have had several daughters lately in the same predicament as you.
Best wishes, Fiona.