Post is reprinted with Mr. Tucker's Permission
Sharing a health diagnosis is never easy. So here it goes. I am one of many people who was diagnosed with prostate cancer during the pandemic. I was diagnosed two years ago.
Receiving such news in normal times is never easy, but receiving it during a pandemic is especially harrowing. Cancer! It’s still a word that does not easily settle on my tongue. People have remarked that I must have been “shocked” to receive such news. Yes, I was “shocked” but with cancer, it’s more like shock waves! Every doctor’s visit, every blood draw, and every MRI is a moment with a monster. Being diagnosed at 48 is young for what is generally viewed as an “old man’s” disease. Like so many terrible mysteries in life, African American men are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease (and a more aggressive form of the disease). One out of six African American men (the rate is one out of nine for other groups) will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. When detected early on, prostate cancer responds well to treatment and is even considered curable. I am very well on that road. My PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is now undetectable and there is no spread. My treatment ended around this time last year with a short course of radiation to eliminate any possible rogue or occult cells. I only revealed my diagnosis to a small circle of friends and family members. I share my news today to encourage every guy to schedule some time to talk with a physician about screening as a part of your comprehensive annual physical – especially if you are age 45 and older. Though I was diagnosed at 48, I started visiting the urologist when I was 45, and during two visits, neither urologist ever mentioned a PSA test to even screen for the disease despite the higher risk for African American men. THIS is a textbook example of why so many fight for health equity! It was only after I noticed some strange symptoms during the pandemic that I alerted my primary doctor. She worked with me to fill every request I had for tests and other diagnostics. My third urologist was a very determined woman who helped ensure that nothing else fell through the cracks. The surgeon who completed the operation remarked disturbingly enough that the cancer had been there “a while.” Eight out of twelve of my biopsy samples were positive for cancer. My prostate specific antigen (PSA) was alarmingly high at 18. A "normal" PSA is generally considered to be 4 or less. My prognosis could have been very different had I delayed screening and testing for even three months. I was fortunate to have very good health care as my journey took me to the top hospitals in the country like Washington Hospital Center, University of California-San Francisco, and John Hopkins. Many men aren't so fortunate and may delay PSA screening or physicals for this reason but there are plenty of resources to help.
One of the hardest parts of this journey was breaking the news to my two, young daughters but they handled the news with the usual aplomb and kindness. You may recall that patients could not have hospital visitors during the pandemic. My wife Jenese could not accompany me for surgery and it was just a devastating, emotional shock wave for both of us. She literally had to leave me at the front door of the hospital. I can’t say enough about her perfect love, courage, and her attempts to arrest every anxiety through prayer and counsel. I am eternally grateful and indebted to her. I hit a wall y’all two years ago but cancer is just another brick and I’m a sledgehammer! Devin