Special by The Newsletter 05
For as long as I can remember my Army vet older cousin had been an alcoholic. I remember me and his younger brother would sneak in his room and smoke his cigarettes and sip his booze.
He was a remarkable family entertainer. A man who was always misunderstood, even as he had gone on to the military, gotten married and to have 5 children.
I also can remember him calling me one summer, about 11 years ago, telling me he was not feeling well. I told him jokingly, you probably had too many women or drank too much. He then went on about how his legs hurt and he had some striking pain in his lower back.
I then told him to go to the doctor, and also suggested a male’s health doctor. He called me a few months after to tell me how the doctor made him urinate in a cup, and poked around in his anal area.
He stated that he was never so violated and disgusted before in his life. I assured him that the doctor was doing a prostate exam.
His first test had come back negative, but the pain in his bones and the small urine drops he experienced lingered on. His primary physician at Jackson MS Memorial sent him to another doctor, an oncologist. They didn’t want to scare him until they were sure. His urine test showed something ver y strange.
My cousin was very afraid, he had just lost his father to cancer, and his uncle died of prostate cancer. He called me again and said I was right, and I could be saving his life: He had prostate cancer.
At the stage that my cousin finally was diagnosed with his cancer, 3, he had being drinking excessively, just to ease the pain he felt in his body. He didn’t want to go to the doctor, or at the least care to know a diagnosis.
However, with my insisting that he did, he allowed the doctor to use his gloved fingers to probe anally near the prostate to discover the issue. I was sad, because he had been walking around with cancer that could have been prevented.
But this happens all over the country some of us fellows are so wrapped up in ego and their manhood. They don’t want to have a doctor invading the no fly zone.
With that being said, just like my cousin, they drink, do drugs and any other thing to hide the pain they suffer. Not just with prostate exams, we men do not like going to the doctor.
I think I prolonged my cousin’s life just enough that he could enjoy his daughters getting married, his wife retiring and his son joining the military. Because even after he had gotten his Stage 3 diagnosis, the cancer was malignant and had already attacked his colons.
My cousin died 2 years after his cancer metastasize to his bones.
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and men like me and you, should at the least go get an exam after 45 years of age.
This was sent to me personally and I am praying it helps someone.
Hi Editor of The Narrative Matters, (courtesy of Prostate Cancer Foundation)
This September, during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, PCF is focusing on the importance of healthy lifestyles and good nutrition in cancer survivorship and overall wellness.
There’s a lot of information out there about nutrition and wellness, and it can be hard to distinguish fact from hype. We’ve brought together a panel of experts to present the latest research and answer your questions in a one-hour live webinar. Join us on Tuesday, September 21 at 9:00am Pacific/Noon Eastern Time.
Hear about the science, and what it means for you:
- The Big Picture: Dietary Profiles and Cancer
- Calorie Restriction and Prostate Cancer: Evidence From a Clinical Trial
- All About Broccoli
The Science of Nutrition and Prostate Cancer is FREE and open to ALL. Register in advance to get your link to the webinar. (All registrants will also get a replay link if you cannot attend.)
I am hoping you guys will check out the webinar and get some free valuable information. My blog could save your life!
There are a lot of private places you can go to get tested for prostate. There is also blood tests performed to determine cancer, but the old dreaded glove finger can detect lumps, hardness and any other abnormalities with your prostate.
So this month fellows, get off your pride and save your life, don’t wait for the pain or try to hide it. Get to the doctor at least every six months and make sure you are prepared for the works. Because studies shows prostate cancer takes a harsher toll on us black men than any other American men.
Other reading that might help:
https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_5_warning_signs_of_prostate_cancer/article.htm
https://www.mskcc.org/news/4-things-black-men-should-know-about-prostate