This is my dad being an awesome dad.
And this is my dad being an awesome Poppy.
That was the year he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Quite by accident. Poppy's like most men, he'd put off going to the doctor forever if allowed; and when mom would make him go, his response to "What's going on?" would be, "Not much." So mom started going with him. Poppy was set to retire that year after 35 years with the gas company and he'd decided to have his bum knee replaced while he still had the good insurance and paid sick leave. One thing about surgeries like that is the surgeon usually requires a FULL physical before proceeding. Poppy had everything, and I mean EVERYTHING examined, tested, poked, prodded and squeezed. And the simple PSA blood screening came back positive for prostate cancer. We were all stunned.
Fortunately, it was in the very early stages and Poppy opted for surgery, no chemo or radiation. And it worked. He's lived long enough to see all of his grandkids grow up, see his oldest granddaughter marry and start her own family, meet and hold his three great-grandkids, celebrate 50 years of marriage to my mom (coming up on 54), and play numerous rounds of golf with his new knee. All because of a simple prostate exam and blood test that every man should get.
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| My, Dennis, what a big sword you have! |
Here's the link:
Kilted to Kick Cancer
Just click the DONATE! tab at the top and choose Team Dragon (Dennis' team) when you get to billing details and make your donation. Doesn't have to be big and flashy. One buck will be appreciated. It's not always the huge gestures that puts you over the top, it's all the little heartfelt offerings that make the difference.
And for the love of God and all that's holy, you dudes go get your whoo-haws checked out.
No man should ever have to die from prostate cancer.
UPDATE:
If you want to make a custom donation (there is a button for it on the donation page) that functionality couldn't be tied into the Team List that you can select from. So what you do is simply forward your PayPal confirmation email to the folks at KtKC and tell them that you want it credited to Team Dragon. They'll add it in manually to the tally at the end of each day.
Also...if folks donate and tag Team Dragon, they should forward the PayPal confirmation to me as well...for every $5 donated, they get their name in a hat to have a chance to win the purple croc rig that I made for this fundraiser. Donate $10? You're name goes in twice. $25? Your name goes in five times.
On October 2nd, I'll do a little You Tube video where we have a customer do the drawing in the store, then we'll ship the holster to the winner.
How cool is that? Make a charitable donation that is TAX DEDUCTIBLE, and you get your name put into a drawing for a VERY cool-looking holster. Its a win-win!!
Angel,
ReplyDeleteThanks for boosting the signal!
Dennis
Hey, whatever blows your kilt up!
ReplyDelete~wink wink~
Okay, since we're on the subject here's my spiel. This is coming from someone who had Prostate Cancer.
ReplyDeleteNeither the rectal check nor the PSA blood test alone is sufficient. You really need to have both done yearly. I had an aggressively growing form that came in just barely over the cutoff. If I'd had the blood test a month or two earlier it'd been below the limit and I wouldn't have been told about it (this was during an examination for life insurance). As it was, by the time I got in for surgery the tumor had made it to the edges of the prostate gland. Had the test been done several months later the tumor would have been into the lymphatic system and changes for a successful recovery would have been low. After getting the bad news I went to the doctor. The rectal exam was negative, so by itself it is not conclusive.
So . . . every year get both a rectal and a PSA blood test. It's important to know what your baseline PSA level is. If it stays flat year to year that is good. If it starts climbing, even if it's below the cutoff of 4.0, then it's something you need to check into. ASAP! If you don't know your baseline number you won't know if it's climbing or not.
I hate doctors, but this is an easy one to beat if it's caught early enough. Get on it guys, you owe this to your wives, kids, parents,and all those around you.
Matt
Matt's right. When I turned 50 I started getting the PSA & the ol' digital exam. (Wheee! And the doc never even sent flowers afterward.) The digital exam was normal and the PSA was below 4.0, but it was climbing each year. My GP doc suggested a biopsy. I thought, No need. I'm a young guy. Not much family history. I'll just wait & we'll check it again next year. Then my GP called me at home one night and talked me into a biopsy. (How many docs these days take the time to do that?) So, I went. Of course, the biopsy came back positive. Fortunately, it was early. I opted for radiation & I'm going on 12 years now cancer free. I’ve seen my sons grow up. I’ve got to know my first grandchild. Hate to think what would have happened if I put off going to the doc. My next door neighbor at the time was one of those guys who refused to go to the doctor for anything. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer about 2 years before I was. He waited too long. He didn't make it.
ReplyDeleteBottom line, get yourself checked. IF CAUGHT EARLY, prostate cancer is usually very survivable. I repeat, IF CAUGHT EARLY.
-Steve
all good stuff....and for routine good prostate health, what is the #1 best thing to do? check back issues of the New England Journal of Medicine ( hint: you will NEVER see it on Oprhah)......
ReplyDeletevaquero viejo