You know what? Let me tell you a little something about how to climb the hills and valleys. For I am a real person.
From the day I could barely pronounce my name, even still in diapers, my life in the Caribbean was the gleaming beauty of perfection. I was the first boy, third in line, and God's gift to my mother and father.
And as I grew older I became almost invincible. Nothing and no one could stop me from becoming the person of my dreams.
During my school years, I knew my teachers were smart, but I somehow knew I had the edge on them. As for my Principal (known as the Headmaster) I often wondered why they chose him to be in charge of the school. Crazy kid.
None-the-less I had everything going for me: Good health, a good house to live in, and two good parents to take care of me. For me it was a lifetime of forever pleasure. Middle class to poor, but happy.
Throughout my teen years no one could deny me the priviledge of sailing on a cloud of limitless joy. Illegal drugs were no prevalent during that era. I survived on endorphins.
However, by the time secondary school graduation came around, the stuff hit the fan. It seemed as though someone crept up and stuck a pin in my highly inflated ego.
As strong as I protrayed myself to be, I could not hold back the tear. I gave the best shot at hiding my emotions, but that little stream of water trickled down my cheek and gave it all away.
My date looked bewildered.
"Could this be the same boy who appeared to be so brave during school years?" That's what I thought she was thinking.
But I was so deeply effected by the reality that stared me in the face, I almost uncontrollably let it all out.
Let me collapse the time; fast forward several years.
The above passage pretty much describes the story of my growing up years. The one thing that remains constant with me is music. From childhood I wanted to be a famous singer and I accomplished that dream to a certain degree. Life was good: A good wife, nice kids, trips here and there; the typical exciting things young families enjoy.
In the meantime my 6-year career in music allowed me to travel to many distant lands; including Egypt and Lebennon. I learned to speak Arabic and a few French phrases while we were in the Middle East.
The highlight of my singing career came when the band I was with at the time did a gig with Bob Marley and The Wailers in London, England. We were the opening act for Bob, not just once, but twice. What moments they were!
Unforgettable.
Much later, I departed from life as a professional musician during the mid 70s. In the late 80s I was introduced to network marketing, and transferred the passion from music to this new-found love. I struggled for many years as I tried to build a business. We'll talk about that in another story.
But in 2007 I was faced with the most difficult phase in my life. Had I not been blessed with a positive attitude it might have caused me to crumble.
I recieved the disturbing news no man wants to hear. No! it was not diabetes; it was not high blood pressure, or even high cholesterol. I never worried about any of these maladies since they are known to be hereditory.
Both of my parents enjoyed comfortable lives for well over eighty years. As a matter of fact, my mother transitioned from life to life eternal in her mid-nineties. She never had diabetes, or high blood.
What I do remember of my father is kind of vague. I left home after marriage at 19 years old and saw him again after a 15-year absence.
I remember him as a worrier. I remember he used to worry in silence a lot. But he didn't have any of these common illnesses that beset the aged. So when the doctor told me it was time to have a biopsy, my nerves were numbed.
Every year for 10 years I had myself checked out by my physician to make sure I would still function in the manner designed by the Almighty.
During the summer of 2007 before I left Altanta for my Barbados vacation (my hometown) my doctor had my blood drawn and sent for analysis. It was the usual yearly check-up.
My wife arrived in Barbados a week after my arrival from the US. I noticed a dullness about her countenance, and decided to let it be.
The vacation went slowly and eventually crawled to a close. Before I left Barbados to return home to the US, I asked my wife (Maureen) if she had any word about the blood test.
"The doctor thinks you should go see the Urologist; just to check thing out" she casually replied.
The Urologist greeted me warmly and said
"Well you know; it's more than just slightly enlarged. I think we ought to do a biopsy and see what's going on in there."
I maintained a positive attitude throughout the conversation. All in all, I did pretty good holding the posture.
A few days after the biopsy, I was summoned to the Urologist office.
"I have some good news and some bad news" he said with a smile. "We took 12 samples, and of the 12 two of them are cancerous... And since you are basically in good health right now, it's a good idea to have it treated before it develops into something unmanageable."
"Get it out of there" I resolved.
I went home and hopped on Google. I spent the night researching prostate cancer and it's treatments.
Having done so, I was comfortable with the idea of having the treatment asap.
I tell this story because I never thought something like this would happen to me. I had no signs of problems in this area. There was the sign of virility stamped on my forehead.
Having faced this experience and lived to tell about it, I think it is neccessary to encourage all men over 45 to have themselves checked out on a yearly basis: not just the blood test, but the unmentionable as well. My PSA was slightly elevated and could have escaped attention.
The doctors can document their findings and take action before it is too late.
Make sure this demon is caught and treated while there is still time left to enjoy your life.
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