Prostate Cancer in Black Men: Jerry McCormick’s Inspiring Journey
We followed a longtime San Diego journalist on his journey battling prostate cancer. Hereâs what we learned about this treatable disease.
This article is part of a two-part series by Anissa Durham that explores the lives of Black men battling prostate cancer. Read part two here. This story is copublished with CalMatters.
The night he found out, Jerry McCormick was alone in a hotel room in Las Vegas. It was a Friday night, the start of a weekend trip to see Janet Jackson in concert. But before heading out for a night on the town, he checked his email. A message from LabCorp was in his inbox: Biopsy results.
âI was looking at the results, and I was like, Oh my God,â McCormick says. He didnât call anyone. He didnât tell anyone. He spent the next seven hours going down the Google rabbit hole on all things prostate cancer. The next morning, he broke the news to his husband. Richardâs response was immediate: âWeâre going to beat this.â
In the weeks that followed, McCormick started telling close friends and family. âWhen people hear cancer, theyâre like âohhhhhhâ â you know, that pity thing. But I donât want to be pitied,â he says. While some were at a loss for words, others immediately offered encouragement. His sister lost her husband in late 2024 to a different kind of cancer. She took it hard. But he repeated one short phrase to himself, âI will be OK.â
#ProstateCancerAwareness #BlackHealthMatters #EarlyDetectionSavesLives
