PHILIPSBURG:--- Daily Herald editor Gordon Snow shared his experience as a prostate cancer survivor with Parliament on Monday, urging men to put aside embarrassment and speak with a doctor about their health.
Snow was invited to address Parliament during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. He said he was diagnosed at 55 after a blood test showed that his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level had risen. He had begun having blood tests at 40 and had no known family history of prostate cancer.
He described the shock of receiving the diagnosis, the months of tests that followed and his decision to undergo surgery in Panama. Snow said his initial recovery took about eight weeks and that it took longer to regain full bladder control. He told Parliament he has since recovered.
Snow said stigma still discourages men from discussing prostate health. He spoke frankly about fear of examinations and treatment, and encouraged men to seek information instead of letting embarrassment delay a conversation with a medical professional.
“Don’t procrastinate,” he told men listening to his testimony. He also asked them to consider the families who depend on them.
Snow thanked the Positive Foundation and the Electralites Foundation for their awareness work. He said more men have come forward for testing in recent years and described this year’s turnout as a campaign record, while stressing that more work remains.
The PSA blood test can help detect possible prostate problems, but an elevated result does not by itself mean a person has cancer. Men considering screening should discuss their individual risk and the possible benefits and harms of testing with a doctor.
