|
Gregory Lewin
glewin@bluefieldspulse.com
Father’s day is Sunday June 17. How
many of you men will turn 40 on this special day.? and how many of you
feel confident that you are in perfect health all over.? Strangely most of
us don’t even think of all the things that can affect the male gender when
we hit the big “40”
The topic of Prostate Cancer is
somewhat personal and I just want to make you all aware of the issue and
urge all of you turning 40 to get your PSA test done. The link I will
provide will give you more details on this deadly but curable disease if
detected early.
One of the many things I do to spend
time with my eight year old son is attending his Boy Scouting meetings and
participates in the games they play and try to keep them in order. I have
lots of fun memory doing this. The kids do things you sometime wonder.
They become themselves when they are around kids their own age.”
For weeks, one of the kids and his dad
from the group did not show up at the meetings. The kid is my son’s best
friend in elementary school. They are inseparable. They go the movies
together, the museum and charity events. They spend Friday nights at each
other home every so often. The kid I am talking about is the one who
invited my son to sign up for the Boy Scout so they could spend Tuesday
evenings together.
I started to wonder what had happened,
I even asked if maybe he was not coming back to the Pack. The following
Tuesday he showed up for meeting and I was happy to see them both. I did
not notice anything different with the father but after the meeting that
Tuesday night a month ago, he took me aside and gave me the news. He was
diagnosed. He told me his daddy died from the disease. He tested every
five years, “big mistake” he says. “I should have done it annually” he
stated. “A lot can develop in five years.” He says.
My friend did not attend the previous
meetings because he had to have emergency surgery as an alternative to
chemo. In three months he will know if the surgery was successful. He said
to me “Greg, get your psa test done every year” I promised him I would. He
also asked me to tell my friends. So my friends, from my friend to you, I
urge you not to take this likely. My friend is very optimistic and I know
he will fight on to beat this disease. Please pass this on to a friend.
The Prostate Cancer Foundation is
a good place to start. They have lots of information about symptoms where
and when to get tested. You can also make a donation to the foundation.
For my fellow country men in Nicaragua please check with the local health
officials for information on this issue and get tested if possible.
|
