The New York Times runs a viscerally honest and startlingly educational account of one man’s battle with Prostate cancer. Dana Jennings speaks about his brush with death and having had the ‘privilege’ of watching “death at work inside my body”.
He talks about suicide crossing his mind, but also the reasons why he felt compelled to fight for his life and about how he wasn’t about to “give death a hand”.
It is inspirational to read about a fight with cancer that the writer describes as “miracles in minor key”. “I can’t worry about tomorrow, can’t fret about death. I’m reveling in the here and now.” Bravo, say we!
Yet another brave story of a struggle with prostate cancer features in the Washington post. Courtland Milloy speaks about literally going weak at the knees upon being diagnosed with prostate cancer and about battling the decision ‘To get treatment or not to get treatment’ of days.
The fear of impotence and incontinence were written large in this apprehensions about the side effects of the treatment. He grappled with issues such as, “for every man whose life was saved by prostate cancer treatment, at least 20 received treatment that was unnecessary.”
Ultimately there is a decision made to get treatment which was possible because his cancer was detected so early. He realizes that the really difficult part would be when a man had to cope with the pain of advanced prostate cancer and the family members who suffer with them!
