Sandy Schenck

Every September we mark Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. This year it’s more personal for me. More than 330,000 American men this year will hear the words we did last spring when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. By the time we found it, it had already spread to my bones. When prostate cancer is caught early, the five-year survival is close to 100%. So have the conversation with your doctor. Don’t put it off. If you're at average risk, that conversation should start around 50, and the guidelines now say screening every 2 to 4 years. If you're a Black man, start it at 45 or earlier. You are nearly 70% more likely to get this disease and 2 to 4 times more likely to die from it. Which is an outrage in the richest country in the world. If your father or your brother had prostate cancer, start the conversation at 45, and even earlier if more than one of them did. I am deeply grateful to the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who helped to control my cancer and who continue to take such good care of me. Their skill, dedication, and compassion mean so much. The radiation treatment from last fall worked as intended, and I continue to do the things I care about, like finishing my memoir. Thank you to everyone who has reached out and continues to keep me and my family in your prayers. We appreciate every single one of you. It’s my hope and prayer that by sharing our experience and being part of this important conversation, we can help save lives. Talk to your doctors. Ask the hard questions. Do it for yourself, and do it for the people who love you. And no matter what, keep the faith. God bless you.