A Cancer-Free Decade!

Tomorrow it will be ten years since I had my cancerous prostate removed, leaving me cancer free!  So it’s been ten years of not having cancer, but also ten years of thinking about it every day…every single day.

Prostate cancer was my second cancer. I also had a malignant melanoma removed from my right shoulder about fifteen years ago.  Does this make me prone to cancer? I sure hope not.  But things seem to happen in threes. Does the ten years of no cancer cancel out the “things in three” rule.  One can only hope!

I suppose I should be thankful that the cancers I have had are the more easily treatable ones.  I am thankful. Very thankful. People have actually said that to me. That I am lucky I didn’t have a more serious cancer.  That’s a little rude, because I have run in a 5k that was dedicated to a local mother who died of a malignant melanoma. Here are some people you may know who have died of prostate cancer:  Bill Bixby, Telly Savalas, Frank Zappa, Timothy Leary, Merv Griffin, James Herriot, Dennis Hopper, Bud Abbot, Gary Cooper, Johnny Ramone, Jerry Ohrbach, and most importantly to me, my brother Don.

Here are some things I have learned from surviving prostate cancer. Every day on this earth is precious. No medical test is too embarrassing. People often don’t know what to say to you but will, with good intentions, say something. If it is rude, don’t take it personally.  Eat your vegetables! Tell and show the people in your life that you love them.  Keep moving….your body and your mind.  Read good books. Listen to great music. View great art.  Be curious. Learn about what is going on in your medical life. Knowledge is power.  Go to the doctor. Fight for Universal Healthcare so everyone can go to the doctor!

I am so very thankful for this cancer free decade.  I am thankful for the doctors that helped keep me living and allowed me to enjoy the last ten years.  I am thankful for the friends and family that supported me during the rough time and I am glad they are with me still, ten years later.

So men, get your self to the doctor. Get tested. The digital only takes a minute and I am pretty sure the doctor isn’t enjoying it either! Get you PSA checked.  That’s what saved me.  Do all you can to stay on this Earth as long as you can. It’s sometimes a bumpy ride….but oh, what a ride it is!!