Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
With prostate cancer rates on the rise across the country, health experts are emphasizing how critical it can be for men to get screened to catch any potential cases as early as possible.
The CDC says prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, about 1 in 8 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during the life with the number of prostate cancer cases being diagnosed each year increasing by 3% a year since 2014.
Ken Jerkins and his wife Gwyn Jerkins were happy to "ring the bell" after he was treated for prostate cancer at AdventHealth. Experts are emphasizing how critical it can be for men to get screened to catch any potential cases as early as possible.
The latest data from CDC shows in Florida among all races and ethnicities the age-adjusted rate of prostate cancer was more than 110 per 100,000 men.
81-year-old Lake Placid resident Ken Jerkins was diagnosed with prostate cancer in October 2024. He and his wife, Gwyn chose to go to the AdventHealth Sebring Cancer Institute and they couldn't be any happier with the care he received.
"From the moment we walked in the door of the facility, it was amazing. Everyone was so friendly, smiley and upbeat. It felt like we already knew them. In such a bad time of your life it's such a wonderful place, like you become friends with everybody from the front desk to the nurses to everyone. I just can't say enough about it," Gwyn said. "It's a blessing to our whole community."
Ken and Gwyn also praised the time staff members took to get to know them and answer every question they had.
"They don't rush you out of there, they're willing to spend as much time as you need," Gwyn said. "There's a nurse there named Patrick and he was a lifesaver for me, because you know your head is spinning when you get a diagnosis like this and I would leave the office and get home and think of another question, and so I would call back and he'd always either answer then or he'd get back to me in a couple hours. It's just amazing."
"You see the same people day after day when you're getting treatments. I think I had treatments for 28 days in a row, so you kind of get to know them all," Ken added. "We were also pretty impressed by the chaplains on staff. They were very nice and encouraging and we really liked that."
Ken and Gwyn were so appreciative that they bought the entire office lunch from Olive Garden one day as a thank you.
"We're just so thankful and grateful, I mean to get that kind of care, blessed to have such a facility in this area," Gwyn said.
Ken said he completed his radiation treatment in January and on his last day of treatment, he got a special gift to take home. A small painted woodpecker made from PVC pipe. Ken and Gwyn said they were told a former patient of the center makes the woodpeckers and gives them to the center to be handed out to patients when they complete their treatment.
"It's like representing you had treatment for cancer, and you can put it in your tree, so then people like us who know, you're like oh that person survived cancer," Gwyn said.
June is Men's Health month, which aims to raise awareness about preventable health issues and encourages men to get checked in hopes of detecting any potential illnesses, like cancer, early on and have them treated.
The American Cancer Society estimates there will be about 313,780 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year, with about 35,770 men dying from the disease this year. The organization added that each man's risk of getting the disease can vary based on age, race/ethnicity and other factors.
For example, prostate cancer is more likely to develop in older men. About six in 10 prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men who are 65 or older and it is rare in men under 40. The average age of men when they are first diagnosed is about 67 years old. Prostate cancer risk is also higher in African American men and in Caribbean men of African ancestry than in men of other races.
If you are wondering whether you should be screened, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) made the following recommendations about prostate cancer screening:
Men who are 55 to 69 years old should make individual decisions about being screened for prostate cancer with a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.
Before deciding, men should talk to their doctor about the benefits and harms of screening for prostate cancer, including the benefits and harms of other tests and treatment.
The CDC says If you have any symptoms that worry you, be sure to see your doctor right away. They may be caused by conditions other than prostate cancer. Those symptoms include difficulty starting urination, weak or interrupted flow of urine, urinating often, especially at night, and trouble emptying the bladder completely among other symptoms.
Reader Comments(0)