Ronald Robinson
Jim Black
I am filled with gratitude towards all the people that helped me overcome prostate cancer. I must thank Lincoln Community Health Center and all the people on the staff.
I look forward to every 2nd Tuesday of the month for our meeting. I appreciate the free discussions with medical professionals and other participants. Most of all the encouragement I received to get screened. I did this for about six years. This was one of the reasons I did so well with my cancer.
I am filled with gratitude towards all the people that helped me overcome prostate cancer. I must thank Lincoln Community Health Center and all the people on the staff.
I look forward to every 2nd Tuesday of the month for our meeting. I appreciate the free discussions with medical professionals and other participants. Most of all the encouragement I received to get screened. I did this for about six years. This was one of the reasons I did so well with my cancer.
Donald Lowrence
Donald Faison
I am Donald R. Faison, a 75 year old African American who has prostate cancer. My experience with prostate cancer began in October of 2011. My annual physical with my primary care physician showed that my PSA(Protein Specific Antigen) elevated from 3.1 in July of 2010 to 4.2 in October 2011. A healthy prostate has a PSA range of 0.0 to 4.0. This was my first indication that I had an issue with my prostate. My family doctor suggested that I see a urologist. My doctor was aware that my father died of prostate cancer at age 78. My first visit to the urologist included a lengthy discussion about my father’s prostate cancer. The visit concluded with a blood test. The test revealed a PSA of 4.52. After the discussion with the urologist, he and I agreed that a biopsy would be appropriate. The biopsy was done on 01/19/12 and I received the results the following week. The biopsy showed no cancer. I was elated. I was told I should see the urologist again in one year. My next visit was 01/23/13 and a sample of my blood was taken. My PSA was 4.5, showing no significant increase in a full year. By this time , I had been given the three most common prostate cancer tests……. digital rectal exam, PSA test and biopsy. None of the tests are 100% accurate. The digital exam relies on the “touch” of the physician, the PSA can indicate the presence of cancer when there is no cancer and completely not detect cancer when it is present. Finally, the biopsy is the most accurate, but has its limitations due to the location of the prostate…….deep in the body and all parts of it are not easily accessible to the instrument taking the samples. At my next visit, my PSA had elevated to 6.08. The urologist gave me an antibiotic in case I had some infection in my body. Any infection can affect the reading of the PSA. After completing a course of antibiotics, the PSA came back at 6.88. With this increase, a second biopsy was administered on 05/05/14. The biopsy showed three of twelve samples to be cancerous. The urologist immediately ordered a CT scan, bone scan and chest x-rays. These test were administered to assure that the cancer had not spread outside of the prostate. No cancer was found except that in the prostate gland.
I was curious to get a second opinion. A close friend had been treated for prostate cancer at University of North Carlina Cancer Center. I contacted my friend’s urologist and was able to get an appointment. I underwent an extensive physical exam and consultation. My records from my local urologist were carefully examined by a team of urologists and others at UNC. The team at UNC concurred with my local urologist in that my cancer was not aggressive and was believed to be “slow growing”. Too, they agreed that I would be a good candidate for “watchful waiting” or active surveillance. Since my initial visit in December of 2014, I have had six office visits. Each visit includes a digital exam, a sample of my blood taken for the PSA test and an opportunity for me to ask any questions I might have. I
I also had one biopsy that showed no cancer at all. This does not mean the cancer is gone. The samples taken from my prostate, this time, simply had no cancerous cells among them. My PSA has ranged from 6.6 to 7.9 over the past 18 months. My urologist has scheduled me for an office visit on 09/02/16.
Since the cancer was diagnosed, I have altered my diet by eating almost no fried foods, less red meat, minimal dairy products, far less sugar and many more fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. Too, I have a full glass of green tea daily with my dinner. My weight, 220 pounds at 6 feet 3 inches, is virtually the same as it was when the cancer was diagnosed. I exercise with a personal trainer once every week and get in a fair amount of walking.
I plan to continue the active surveillance until my urologist and I see fit to take further action. Active surveillance is working for me right now. We can never tell what the future holds, but the quality of my life at 75 years old is quite good.
I am Donald R. Faison, a 75 year old African American who has prostate cancer. My experience with prostate cancer began in October of 2011. My annual physical with my primary care physician showed that my PSA(Protein Specific Antigen) elevated from 3.1 in July of 2010 to 4.2 in October 2011. A healthy prostate has a PSA range of 0.0 to 4.0. This was my first indication that I had an issue with my prostate. My family doctor suggested that I see a urologist. My doctor was aware that my father died of prostate cancer at age 78. My first visit to the urologist included a lengthy discussion about my father’s prostate cancer. The visit concluded with a blood test. The test revealed a PSA of 4.52. After the discussion with the urologist, he and I agreed that a biopsy would be appropriate. The biopsy was done on 01/19/12 and I received the results the following week. The biopsy showed no cancer. I was elated. I was told I should see the urologist again in one year. My next visit was 01/23/13 and a sample of my blood was taken. My PSA was 4.5, showing no significant increase in a full year. By this time , I had been given the three most common prostate cancer tests……. digital rectal exam, PSA test and biopsy. None of the tests are 100% accurate. The digital exam relies on the “touch” of the physician, the PSA can indicate the presence of cancer when there is no cancer and completely not detect cancer when it is present. Finally, the biopsy is the most accurate, but has its limitations due to the location of the prostate…….deep in the body and all parts of it are not easily accessible to the instrument taking the samples. At my next visit, my PSA had elevated to 6.08. The urologist gave me an antibiotic in case I had some infection in my body. Any infection can affect the reading of the PSA. After completing a course of antibiotics, the PSA came back at 6.88. With this increase, a second biopsy was administered on 05/05/14. The biopsy showed three of twelve samples to be cancerous. The urologist immediately ordered a CT scan, bone scan and chest x-rays. These test were administered to assure that the cancer had not spread outside of the prostate. No cancer was found except that in the prostate gland.
I was curious to get a second opinion. A close friend had been treated for prostate cancer at University of North Carlina Cancer Center. I contacted my friend’s urologist and was able to get an appointment. I underwent an extensive physical exam and consultation. My records from my local urologist were carefully examined by a team of urologists and others at UNC. The team at UNC concurred with my local urologist in that my cancer was not aggressive and was believed to be “slow growing”. Too, they agreed that I would be a good candidate for “watchful waiting” or active surveillance. Since my initial visit in December of 2014, I have had six office visits. Each visit includes a digital exam, a sample of my blood taken for the PSA test and an opportunity for me to ask any questions I might have. I
I also had one biopsy that showed no cancer at all. This does not mean the cancer is gone. The samples taken from my prostate, this time, simply had no cancerous cells among them. My PSA has ranged from 6.6 to 7.9 over the past 18 months. My urologist has scheduled me for an office visit on 09/02/16.
Since the cancer was diagnosed, I have altered my diet by eating almost no fried foods, less red meat, minimal dairy products, far less sugar and many more fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. Too, I have a full glass of green tea daily with my dinner. My weight, 220 pounds at 6 feet 3 inches, is virtually the same as it was when the cancer was diagnosed. I exercise with a personal trainer once every week and get in a fair amount of walking.
I plan to continue the active surveillance until my urologist and I see fit to take further action. Active surveillance is working for me right now. We can never tell what the future holds, but the quality of my life at 75 years old is quite good.
Willie Cheong
Ben Lanier
Bill Small
Lewis Roland
I first learned that I had prostate cancer when the nurse practitioner from the Urology Department of UNC called to inform me of my lab or biopsy report. She succinctly said that my biopsy report showed Cancer Cells in a certain quadrant of my Prostate gland. That was the most frightening news I had ever received. To me, the word CANCER meant terminal or "certain death".
I grew up in a small town in eastern N. Carolina {Kinston). Whenever someone had Cancer folk would whisper or go in another room to discuss the condition. The assumption was that probably nothing could be done and "death was the likely outcome."
After the diagnosis or the report soaked in for a day or two, Ithen began to talk about it with my wife, Joyce, and to Dean Bill Small,who I knew had had prostate cancer.
My wife is a nurse. It was clear all was not as bad as I thought. It was obvious I needed to plan a strategy for treatment. After consulting with my doctor, my wife and Bill, it became clear that I needed to educate myself more about Prostate Cancer.
I read Tom Fearrington's book on Prostate Cancer. Tom lives in Boston, but was from Chapel Hill. I had a chance to meet with him. Then I talked again with my doctor who made me feel a little more at ease.
As I recall, he said, "Just about every man and especially Black man (if he lives long enough will have prostate cancer. He may not die from it, but he probably will be diagnosed with it." He said, "it's usually not if, it's when, or how soon!" Though that did not make me feel that much better, it was something to think about since I was close to my 70th birthday, when my PSA test came back at a higher level than past reports.
To say a bit about the PSA test - it is a test that is performed by drawing blood. When men reach a certain age and start having urinary tract problems, the doctor often starts to keep measurement of this lab test, because it detects whether the prostate is inflamed or throwing off this chemical (antigen) in reaction to the disease process (inflammation).
When one is first diagnosed with Prostate Cancer the primary physician often starts to take frequent tests of the Prostate gland by doing a PSA test. They might also suggest a process called "Watchful Waiting" which means they take periodic tests of the blood PSA, wait a bit (6mos or so) and then take another blood sample. The urologist might also do a biopsy of the prostate to see if prostate tissue changes in any way, and if the sample comes back positive for CANCER cells. I think I did "watchful waiting" for about 9 months to a year. However, I remember the biopsies were quite uncomfortable. So after about a year, we (the doctor and I) began to consider other options.
I had to decide what were the most important things in my life. Idetermined that they were:
1. Health
2. Faith
3. Family & friend
4. A good economic base
5. Doing what I say I was going to do (showing integrity)
6. Giving something back to the community
It later became clear to me that these principles were central to my life and my ability to deal with this new diagnosis. I had to decide what kind of surgery I wanted to have, if indeed surgery became necessary. The doctors decided I needed to become educated about the situation and make a decision that was in my best interest and the best treatment for the type of Prostate Cancer I had.
We decided that we should consider the Davinci Procedure which includes Robotic Surgery.
I would have a very small incision in my abdomen as my Cancer seemed more localized in the prostate. I would probably stay in the hospital no more than 2 - 3 days; bleeding would be scant and healing would be quicker and tissue damage would be less. Bleeding could be controlled better also with this procedure.
As explained by my urologist, the procedure could be done quickly, and was less painful and I, the patient, would be discharged from the hospital in a matter of days. I am pleased to report that is exactly what happened. I had a catheter for only a few days; returned to the clinic for my follow-up and within about 4 weeks was up and about and resuming normal activities with very little discomfort.
The surgery was quick and painless. Recovery was short (less than 4 weeks); If I had to do it all over again, I think I would have gathered more information on Proton therapy which is a relative new procedure in treating Prostate Cancer. Now I spend my time working with a Prostate Cancer support group and helping other African American men appreciate the value of frequent medical visits to test for Prostate disease; I learned also the value of not acting too quickly in making a decision to remove the cancerous tissue. I had my surgery in 2010. I visit my doctor at least twice a year for testing and follow-up. So far, So Good! Tests remain normal.
God is Good!
I first learned that I had prostate cancer when the nurse practitioner from the Urology Department of UNC called to inform me of my lab or biopsy report. She succinctly said that my biopsy report showed Cancer Cells in a certain quadrant of my Prostate gland. That was the most frightening news I had ever received. To me, the word CANCER meant terminal or "certain death".
I grew up in a small town in eastern N. Carolina {Kinston). Whenever someone had Cancer folk would whisper or go in another room to discuss the condition. The assumption was that probably nothing could be done and "death was the likely outcome."
After the diagnosis or the report soaked in for a day or two, Ithen began to talk about it with my wife, Joyce, and to Dean Bill Small,who I knew had had prostate cancer.
My wife is a nurse. It was clear all was not as bad as I thought. It was obvious I needed to plan a strategy for treatment. After consulting with my doctor, my wife and Bill, it became clear that I needed to educate myself more about Prostate Cancer.
I read Tom Fearrington's book on Prostate Cancer. Tom lives in Boston, but was from Chapel Hill. I had a chance to meet with him. Then I talked again with my doctor who made me feel a little more at ease.
As I recall, he said, "Just about every man and especially Black man (if he lives long enough will have prostate cancer. He may not die from it, but he probably will be diagnosed with it." He said, "it's usually not if, it's when, or how soon!" Though that did not make me feel that much better, it was something to think about since I was close to my 70th birthday, when my PSA test came back at a higher level than past reports.
To say a bit about the PSA test - it is a test that is performed by drawing blood. When men reach a certain age and start having urinary tract problems, the doctor often starts to keep measurement of this lab test, because it detects whether the prostate is inflamed or throwing off this chemical (antigen) in reaction to the disease process (inflammation).
When one is first diagnosed with Prostate Cancer the primary physician often starts to take frequent tests of the Prostate gland by doing a PSA test. They might also suggest a process called "Watchful Waiting" which means they take periodic tests of the blood PSA, wait a bit (6mos or so) and then take another blood sample. The urologist might also do a biopsy of the prostate to see if prostate tissue changes in any way, and if the sample comes back positive for CANCER cells. I think I did "watchful waiting" for about 9 months to a year. However, I remember the biopsies were quite uncomfortable. So after about a year, we (the doctor and I) began to consider other options.
I had to decide what were the most important things in my life. Idetermined that they were:
1. Health
2. Faith
3. Family & friend
4. A good economic base
5. Doing what I say I was going to do (showing integrity)
6. Giving something back to the community
It later became clear to me that these principles were central to my life and my ability to deal with this new diagnosis. I had to decide what kind of surgery I wanted to have, if indeed surgery became necessary. The doctors decided I needed to become educated about the situation and make a decision that was in my best interest and the best treatment for the type of Prostate Cancer I had.
We decided that we should consider the Davinci Procedure which includes Robotic Surgery.
I would have a very small incision in my abdomen as my Cancer seemed more localized in the prostate. I would probably stay in the hospital no more than 2 - 3 days; bleeding would be scant and healing would be quicker and tissue damage would be less. Bleeding could be controlled better also with this procedure.
As explained by my urologist, the procedure could be done quickly, and was less painful and I, the patient, would be discharged from the hospital in a matter of days. I am pleased to report that is exactly what happened. I had a catheter for only a few days; returned to the clinic for my follow-up and within about 4 weeks was up and about and resuming normal activities with very little discomfort.
The surgery was quick and painless. Recovery was short (less than 4 weeks); If I had to do it all over again, I think I would have gathered more information on Proton therapy which is a relative new procedure in treating Prostate Cancer. Now I spend my time working with a Prostate Cancer support group and helping other African American men appreciate the value of frequent medical visits to test for Prostate disease; I learned also the value of not acting too quickly in making a decision to remove the cancerous tissue. I had my surgery in 2010. I visit my doctor at least twice a year for testing and follow-up. So far, So Good! Tests remain normal.
God is Good!
Leon Robinson
Johnny Alston
Howard Williams, RN
My initiation with Prostate cancer, more specifically in African American men, occurred in the mid 1990's. I worked on a research study @ UNC SON that looked at the efficacy of Black male nurses working with black men with Prostate cancer. One of my clients stated that "I don't know what I would have done without your help". That sentiment inspired me to fill a void that was present then and still present today. Lack of information in the African American community. This void exist in knowledge of the disease, treatment options, their availability and how should I proceed? The Lincoln group was established more than 20 years ago to help address those topics and more. Mr. Larry Green and I, have Co-facilitated the group from it's beginnings. We are breaking through this " code of silence" where men don't discuss their health issues. Our meetings range from guest speakers to open forum, where the men discuss what articles, topics or "current events" are important to them. We want to establish an atmosphere of trust and sharing. A couple of years ago, our group accepted an invitation to go to Goldsboro NC to share with men in that area.That was a very rewarding trip. Connections with those men remain to this day. I personally have spoken to groups in Raleigh, Durham, Roxboro, Goldsboro and Huntsville Ala. I was the guest speaker at the Central Carolina Black Nurses' Council 14th annual Education Lecture. HTWilliams Jr BSN,RN
My initiation with Prostate cancer, more specifically in African American men, occurred in the mid 1990's. I worked on a research study @ UNC SON that looked at the efficacy of Black male nurses working with black men with Prostate cancer. One of my clients stated that "I don't know what I would have done without your help". That sentiment inspired me to fill a void that was present then and still present today. Lack of information in the African American community. This void exist in knowledge of the disease, treatment options, their availability and how should I proceed? The Lincoln group was established more than 20 years ago to help address those topics and more. Mr. Larry Green and I, have Co-facilitated the group from it's beginnings. We are breaking through this " code of silence" where men don't discuss their health issues. Our meetings range from guest speakers to open forum, where the men discuss what articles, topics or "current events" are important to them. We want to establish an atmosphere of trust and sharing. A couple of years ago, our group accepted an invitation to go to Goldsboro NC to share with men in that area.That was a very rewarding trip. Connections with those men remain to this day. I personally have spoken to groups in Raleigh, Durham, Roxboro, Goldsboro and Huntsville Ala. I was the guest speaker at the Central Carolina Black Nurses' Council 14th annual Education Lecture. HTWilliams Jr BSN,RN
Larry Green was a cancer educator at the Commonweal Cancer Care Program in the 1980s (this program was part of Bill Moyer's 5 part series 'Healing and the Mind.') In the 1990's Larry helped start Cornucopia Cancer Support Center in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. As part of Cornucopia House's outreach to the community we worked to bring a yearly prostate screening to Lincoln Community Health Center in Durham, NC. After the first screening we started a support group. Support and education groups supply many essential but missing skills that cancer patients need to successfully navigate their disease. Getting a diagnosis of cancer is like being dropped behind enemy lines without any training. Navigating the medical-maze and the alternative medical-maze around a diagnosis is stressful and demanding, on top of coping emotionally and mentally. Often fellow travelers who have had your diagnosis are better advisors than the medical professionals in helping making choices that take into account more than just potential treatments. As facilitators I see our role is to provide answers to questions or help find them, create a safe and open space for participants to learn, share, grow and connect.