Your health is the best gift you can give your family was a saying the Right Reverend Laish Z. Boyd, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese in The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, had always heard, but never took to heart as much until three years ago when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Making the decision not to dwell on his own doubts and insecurities and do the best possible thing to treat his cancer before his condition worsened and his health failed was the best gift he could give to his family who could have otherwise been physically, mentally and financially stressed.
"As it is prostate cancer awareness month, I think it is of utmost importance to get other men to understand how serious it is to get their prostate and even general health checked out on a regular basis. You are not doing it just for you, but for you family's sake. You may not care about your health personally, but there are many people who will be affected by you being ill or even worse, your death, due to poor medical attention if you do not take care of yourself. I was blessed that I was always regular with my check-ups because my bout with prostate cancer was caught early and successfully treated."
In our society many men are not so lucky because they procrastinate when it comes to visiting their doctor for their annual check-up, and by the time they go when they realize something is wrong the cancer has often times already spread to other parts of the body. The head of the Anglican church says for him, the scariest part about his brush with cancer was that unlike many other men afflicted with the dreaded disease he had no family history or even symptoms that indicated he had cancer.
For most men, warning signs include a frequent need to urinate, especially at night; difficulty starting or stopping a stream of urine; a weak or interrupted urinary stream; inability to urinate standing up; a painful or burning sensation during urination or ejaculation; or blood in their urine or semen. While not symptoms of the cancer itself, they are instead the symptoms of the blockage from the cancer growth within the prostate and surrounding tissues.
"Finding out I had prostate cancer was all accidental really. It occurred during a routine check-up in November 2008. I was a few months late in getting it, but thank goodness I got it done anyway," says the bishop. "When the results came back I was told I was in good health except that my Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) was a little elevated.
My PSA usually is around one or two but this time around it was 17-something. I was referred to a urologist, and put on a six-week course of medication. After I completed it my score was reduced to about 11-something, but it was still too high, so the next thing to do was to biopsy my prostate. Out of the 10 samples taken, four of them were cancerous. By this time it was February 2009, I was 47-years-old and things like this happening didn't even register.
Although I had time to think about the possibilities since I got the questionable results from my routine check-up the year before, the news that I had cancer still came as a surprise."
He remembers the days after he received the news as somewhat of a daze. He says he felt numb, amazed and shocked. And recalled all he could think about in those first few moments was "What is cancer? How can I have cancer?" He says it was at that moment he realized more than ever that sometimes life throws you curveballs that you can only trust God to help you cradle.
The Anglican bishop admits he was afraid when he heard the positive result, and could only turn to God to help everything make sense. After having a few days to digest the information, he returned to his doctor's office with his wife, Joanne, so they could learn what stage the cancer was caught at, and what his options were. Thankfully, due to the bishop's regular doctor's visits the cancer was caught at stage one which meant it had only affected the prostate. The good news opened up many doors in terms of treatment options and put the bishop at ease.
"It was a long two hours my wife and I sat listening to and asking [the doctor] questions. He gave us his opinion and even recommended we get a second or even a third one just to be sure. I eventually did go to the United States to get other opinions, but really, right at that time I felt confident and relaxed in his prognosis and suggestions to me. I went into his office with an open mind and a prayer and just trusted in what I would hear."
Bishop Boyd was advised to remove his prostate, because of his age and the early stage at which it had been caught. The doctor told the Anglican prelate to make the decision that would be best for him. When it comes to prostate cancer, most men adopt a don't ask, don't tell strategy because they view prostate cancer as a threat to their "manhood", because for a long time, associated with prostate cancer has been erectile dysfunction.
A lot f men are of the opinion that if they remove their prostates, they won't be able to have sexual intercourse, but if they don't remove it and the disease progresses that will happen anyway if they wait too long, because it becomes cancerous and the cancer destroys the nerves anyway.
"I was so much at ease and happy with the abundance of information [the doctor] provided, I jokingly asked if his office was open the next day so I could do it right away." The actual surgery did not take place until four weeks later, but by that time, Bishop Boyd says his initial fear and uncertainty had long evaporated.
Looking back at that time, Bishop Boyd says the experience was one of the most frightening in his life but is glad he had faith and took action for his sake and of those who would be affected by his choices. He advises other people, especially men to take precautions and to take their health seriously.
If there is one thing, the Anglican bishop has learnt, it's that no one is exempt from cancer, no matter their history, physical condition or status. He encourages more people to take seeing a doctor seriously, especially if they have health issues. "Believing in God and trusting Him to heal your ailments is a good thing because He still is in the miracle business. But not trusting in the hands He uses to do His work is like passing up a blessing at times. Many people feel doctors cannot help, or only God can solve a problem, but in reality God made medicine so whether the doctor is a Christian or not, he is still being used by God, especially if you believe you can be helped.
"Your health is a gift you give your loved ones so if you can preserve it you should do all you can," he says. Now one of many men who are known as prostate cancer survivors, Bishop Boyd served as patron for the recent 1,000-man walk for prostate health staged recently by Us Too, a prostate cancer education and support group that is celebrating an awareness of the disease during September.
The organization also organizes prostate cancer screening statistics to encourage men to have their prostates checked. Over the last five years, for the most part, they have seen more increases of men being checked during their prostate screening clinics as the awareness improved. In 2003, their statistics show a total of 313 persons were tested.
In 2004, the number dropped to 231, then again in 2005 to 227. In 2006, a total of 481 persons were tested during the clinics, with 373 presenting in 2007. In 2008, a record 771 tests were performed with 624 prostates checked in 2009, and last year, 687 men presented to have their prostates checked.
Statistics also show that most men reported that they took the test at the urging of their wives. Last year, statistics complied by Us Too show that 192 men said they had been encouraged to take the test by their spouses.
During Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Us Too will host prostate cancer screening clinics during the month on Thursday, September 22 at the Flamingo Gardens Clinic, on Tuesday, September 27 at the South Beach Clinic and on Thursday, September 29 at the Fleming Street Clinic.
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