Us Too for men’s health

WLBZ’s Buddy to Buddy program publicizes their breast cancer awareness program, but do the women there discriminate? They once felt discriminated against and should, most of all, be sensitive to a related issue.

Men also get breast cancer, but not as many who get prostate cancer. An equal number of men and women die from breast cancer as men with prostate cancer, 40,000 each year from reports I have read. The program should also make men aware that they need to get checkups for prostate cancer too. Or should the male anchors of the news organizations initiate an awareness program? Head-in-the-sand male news anchors make no attempt to give equal time to promote men getting checkups for prostate cancer. Perhaps there is a connotation that prostate cancer should not be brought forth before the general public, but why is a mystery to me.

In 1994 Eastern Maine Medical Center had a prostate cancer clinic, but no further clinics have been held. As a result of attending, I found out I should have a further ultrasound prostate exam since my prostate specific antigen numbers had gone up. The test revealed two sites that tested positive. I anguished on what course of action to take, to wait and watch or go to a support group called Us Too. Finally, on July 25, 1995, I had radical surgery after talking to several men at Us Too who had been in the same situation and advised me from their own experiences.

One person who attends the Us Too meetings brings tears to my eyes. The cancer has gone into his bones and most treatments are not available to him now, even radical surgery. As he suffers, while taking medication to ease the pain, he hopes that maybe tomorrow something will come along. He has enviable courage.

More men should be aware and get tested, as women do when they do self-exams and get mammograms. Us Too meets on the first Wednesday of each month at EMMC from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., conference room 2D.

Lee Sirabella

Brewer