Survivors’ stories
“I don’t have the time.” “It’s too
expensive.” “I’m afraid of what I might find out.” “I’m fine.” “It’s no big deal, I’ll tough it out.”
If you are a wife, girlfriend,
mother, sister, daughter, friend or loved one of a man who refuses to see a
doctor, these are some of the excuses you may have heard from him for avoiding
a medical check-up. Unfortunately, however, studies have shown that men die at
higher rates than women for all the leading causes of death and that men “live
sicker and die younger than women.”
So the time has come for men to
make the time, cough up the money and “man up” to the reality that they need to
be more proactive about their health.
Anthony Walton, a 52-year-old
carpenter in Cayman Brac and local prostate cancer survivor, learned this
lesson the hard way. Approximately three years ago, Mr. Walton went to the hospital
simply to obtain a refill for his medication. His doctor, however, told him
that before he could do so, Mr. Walton would first need to do some tests and
referred him to urologist Brian Backman.
The results of his prostate
specific antigen, or PSA, blood test – 17 – and the digital rectal exam – a
lump – both pointed to the fact that cancer might be present in his prostate. A
biopsy was performed, confirming suspicions of cancer.
A year after his diagnosis, Mr.
Walton began treatment, choosing to have radiation treatment in Jamaica instead
of the US. He indicated that although he was a little worried after receiving
this diagnosis, he was not scared because the doctor reassured him that the
cancer was very small and growing very slowly.
He spoke of his diagnosis to his
wife, father and brothers and felt very supported. In the end, however, he put
his faith in the doctor’s hands.
Family history
When asked about his family
history, Mr. Walton revealed that at least two people in his family, one on his
mother’s side and one on his father’s side, had prostate cancer. Given his risk
factors, it was surprising to find out that he waited until he was nearly 50
years old to screen for prostate cancer, and only did so as a condition of having
his medication refilled.
Due to the fact that he had never
seen too many doctors and wasn’t having regular check-ups, Mr. Walton had never
heard about the PSA blood test before. He had, however, heard and read about
prostate cancer off and on in the newspapers, radio and TV, but never took it
too seriously.
Today, his attitude has changed –
he now sees the doctor on a regular basis and does a PSA blood test every four
months. He also has a message for the men of our islands; “I would say they
should get a physical once a year or so.”
Still, Mr. Walton was very
fortunate because his cancer was found early and his radiation treatment, which
lasted approximately three and a half months, did not result in severe side
effects. At the moment his PSA level is down to two and the doctor assures him
that everything looks OK.
Although Mr. Walton’s success story
is inspiring, not all men are so fortunate. The Cayman Islands Cancer Society
is observing November as male cancers awareness month and throughout the next
few weeks will be submitting articles with basic information on prostate and testicular
cancers that all men should know about.
The Cayman Islands Cancer Society
is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to preventing the development of cancer
through its education programmes and screening initiatives, as well as providing
financial assistance to cancer patients and their families with treatment
related expenses.
The Cancer Society also offers free
counselling and support to cancer patients and their families. The society’s
programmes are supported through fundraising events and donations from the
public and from the corporate sector whose generosity is very much appreciated.
For more information on male
cancers, the Cayman Islands Cancer Society or its programmes, call 949-7618 or
email [email protected]
Camila Muniz Ferreira is project coordinator at the Cayman Islands
Cancer Society
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