Shocking Discovery of Prostate Cancer

As I’m sure you all know, prostate cancer is a type of cancer found in gland cells of the prostate. Due to a lack of symptoms, some men are not aware of the condition until it reaches a later stage. Therefore, we push for men to get checked early.

A journey with prostate cancer

My friend invited me to a birthday party for her husband recently, and I was kind of doubtful at first. He was from India and a very quiet person. We have never talked that much. This was his 52nd birthday. I hadn’t been to any events since COVID, but decided oh, what the heck?

I didn’t know many people there, and they were a lot younger than me. Her husband walked up to me and just started talking. He told me he follows me on ProstateCancer.net. Well, I was in shock; I didn’t think he even knew my name. Long story short, he started telling me about his journey with PC.

How it began

It all started 4 years ago when he was 48 years old. He started straining when emptying his bladder and later graduated to pain and burning during urination. Just having these conditions made him scared, nervous, and anxious, and his wife had become concerned, too.

After a few weeks he decided to see a doctor, thinking it would be some sort of quick treatment or maybe a mere infection. But that was not the case at all. The doctor kept listening and requested him to do a biopsy. When he heard the word biopsy, he was shocked, but he immediately knew that the doctor suspected cancer. How was he going to tell his wife?

After a week, the doctor called him back for the results. It was stage 3 prostate cancer. His worst fears had come true, and he had a lot of questions on the source of his cancer. No one had ever heard of anyone with cancer in his family. "Why is this happening to me? I’m only in my 40s!" he wondered.

Undergoing treatment

He shared with me that it’s devastating being a cancer patient in some parts of the world. The country he was from lacked cancer expertise and treatment equipment. Some patients have no option but to go overseas for treatment.

He had a family doctor in India that he trusted, and this is where he wanted to do his treatment. It was expensive, but his family and friends stood by him and contributed to the cost. After assessing his condition, doctors advised him on several treatments for prostate cancer. They settled on radiation.

After the treatment, he went back home. He focuses on doing exercise, eating healthy, and loving his family. He did find a local doctor for check-ups to see every month. After four months, the doctor told him his condition was becoming better.

Life since treatment

He thanks God that after 10 months of treatment and check-ups, the doctor told him that his cancer had disappeared. He does want to thank his local doctor who diagnosed him and the doctors from India.

He has returned to normal work. His sex drive has deteriorated to an extent, but that does not bother him. He is alive. The love that he received from his immediate family keeps him strong. He’s hoping that everything will return to normal soon. My encouragement is to those with the condition: never lose hope, find treatment early.

Helping others

His dream is to start a cancer foundation in his country. This is something he wants to do before he dies. He also has started a forum for cancer patients and survivors; this is his greatest achievement so far. He has joined other forums and committees championing setting up cancer treatment centers.

His parting words to me: "Thank you, Miss Diane, for all that you do. You are helping so many, and I want to do the same."