June 23, 2025 • 30 mins
Sylvia talks with COL (Ret) James E. Williams, Jr. with the Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Sylvia Moss, and this is Insight, a presentation
of iHeartMedia where we really do care about our local
communities and all our listeners who live here. Well, we
all heard of the news that former President Biden was
recently diagnosed with late stage prostate cancer, and estimated one
in nine men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime,
(00:22):
and that makes prostate cancer the most common cancer in man.
Because it tends to grow slowly, prostate cancer is also
one of the most treatable cancers when detected and treated early.
Now I'm going to say that again, when detected and
treated early, their survival rate for prostate cancer is very high.
When a man's diagnosed with late stage prostate cancer, like
(00:45):
President Biden, it typically means that the cancer has spread
to other parts of the body and the chance for
survival is pretty slim. One of the major things that
my guests and I are going to discuss and that
you should certainly pay attention to, is the fact that
here in Pencil, the number of men in our state
who are having prostate cancer screens has decreased while late
(01:06):
stage prostate cancer is increasing. My guest today was diagnosed
with prostate cancer years ago, and at the time prostate
cancer diagnosis was considered a death sentence. But at the
urging of his wife, Colonel Jim Williams, who was a
Vietnam VETT, went to see his doctor for all the
required tests that were available at least at that time.
(01:27):
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer when surgery and hormone therapy,
and since then he's a healthy guy. Jim is not
only a blessed prostate cancer survivor. As the board chair
for the Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition, he's constantly out there
advocating to educate men and their families all about prostate cancer. Jim,
(01:48):
I love seeing you. You're a wonderful person. You're passionate,
and you're constantly trying to get through to these guys.
What's the story about Pennsylvania? Why? I mean, what's going on?
Do you know?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So? Thank you for having me on. Of course, yes,
we know that in two thousand and twenty five thirteen,
four hundred Pennsylvanians will be diagnosed with cancer and fourteen
hundred men will die of cancer. And in many cases
these deaths are needless because men should not die of
(02:22):
this disease.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Wow, I just I can't imagine why this is going on,
but I will tell you. You know, as women, the thing
is breast cancer for the most part, and we're told,
or we learn from our doctors that if you find
a lump, get to the doctor whatever, make sure you
don't have breast cancer. We're also told that you don't
you can have breast cancer, and you don't have to
(02:47):
have a lump. But the whole thing is about early detection.
And for men, I understand that not all the guys
have symptoms, although there are symptoms, but the main thing
we get are mammograms. That's the first step. You guys
get a PSA and guys have a hard time getting
there right.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yes, yeah, men should be as sensitive to their proces
as women are to their breasts. For some reason, and
we don't know why. All men's prostrate enlarge as they
gear older, and in most cases calls them quality of
life problems such as having trouble urinating or getting up
four or five times a night to go to the bathroom,
(03:27):
or having impedence or incontinence problems. And the symptoms for
enlarged prostate are the same as the symptoms for prostate cancer,
and that's why the man should go to the doctor
so it can distinguish between one whether it's cancer or
one of it's just the enlarged prostate. Men take better
(03:49):
care of their cars, and of course they're I mean,
well men understand, you know, putting oil in the car
and getting annual inspections and diagnostic testing is good for
the longevity of the car and saves expenses in the
long run. Well, it's the same way with health. Men
(04:09):
need to know what their baseline numbers are. These diseases
can be cured when they're caught in the early stages,
in the early stages before their symptoms. And that's why
you need to go to the doctor when you're well.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Now, so you're sick, okay, Now, the test is a PSA.
What is it? And tell us how that all works
and flows into the stages of CANAC.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
There's two screening tools presently for prostly cancer. One is
a digital rector examination. And men don't like that.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Hey guys, hear guys laughing about it and everything else,
but they.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
But do you know that that ten second uncomfortable tests
might save your life because the physician can actually feel
a portion of the prostate through the rectum wall, as
was found with President Biden. They found a knowledgele which said, hey,
something's going on, and they, through other testing, found out
he had staged for cancer. So the DRE is screening
(05:08):
tools for prostate cancer. But the second tool is the PSA,
which is a blood test. There's a protein in your
prostate called prostate specific androten, and when things are going
on in your prostate, the protein increases, and so by
taking the blood tests, and it's a test that can
be used that's usually incorporated within the lab work that's
(05:30):
done when you go to the doctors, so it's not
a special test that you have to take. When that
test is taken, they can measure this PSA protein and
they give it a grade from one to ten. And
as the protein increases, the greed goes up. For instance,
in my case, my number was number ten. Well this
(05:54):
is thirty four years ago, okay, And the number, the
magic number at that time was four. And if you
had a number under four year okay, And if you
had a number over four, then that was suspect and
you would probably be referred to a urologist or specialist,
as I was today. There is no magic number because
we know that everybody's different, and so we try to
(06:16):
establish baseline numbers. And that's why that's important.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Now I have to tell our listeners this remarkable man.
You wouldn't believe he's eighty eight years old. I just
cannot believe. It doesn't act, it doesn't look it. We
were talking about years ago when you first were diagnosed
years ago. Was that a death sentence at that point
or did they start having treatment?
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, it was more or less a descenence when you
were diagnosed with prostly cancer and it was considered old
man's disease. That so those who were consciouness as health
people didn't really deal with it until they got into
their fifties and sixties.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Did you have symptoms?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
But I had no symptoms. As you mentioned, my wife
Lois saved my life, I insisting that I go see
the primary care physician. And you know that mentality has
not changed him in thirty four years later. But you
know I was living well. I was jogging up and
down the road every day for exercise. I was a
(07:19):
private police so I was getting flight physicals every three
years and maintained my license. But I had not gone
to my internalists, and fortunate for me, this young guy
introduced a new test in nineteen ninety one called PSA
and that's where the number ten came from, and that's
what led me to a urologist who did a biopsy
(07:40):
and found the cancer.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Well, you know, I want to talk about Pennsylvania prost
Like Coalition, and I want to ask you there wasn't
before that, there wasn't much out there. What possessed you
to get involved in this? I mean, tell us about
the history that how it started, how it was created,
and what you do.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Well, as I said, when I was diagnosed, I was
living in Chicago's or organization call Us to International, which
were men who had medirostatic prostate cancer. And this was
before the Internet, and so they were trying to find
all the information they could about their disease because once
you got metasthetic prostate cancer, there wasn't many options open
for you. And I got involved in that group and
(08:18):
then found out that my experience was unique in America,
that I had no problems. I had a good journey.
And we find that most people find some hiccup along
the road with their cancer journey, either the insurance company
or the physicians or the hospital or something. And I
(08:38):
didn't have any of that. And I was retired military
and had a health policy that paid for all of that.
So I was the exception and not a rule. And
I got involved in advocacy because I said, you know,
my experience should be the experience of everybody. In America,
we spend tons of money on healthcare and we don't
get a good return on that. When I moved to Pennsylvania,
(08:58):
we started myself and followed by name of Bob Alexander,
started a prostate cancer coalition to see Weeker raised the
awareness of prostate cancer in our community.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Did you know the situation in pennsylv Well, of course,
not that the figures are changing, but how much did
you know about prostate cancer in Pennsylvania.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
I knew very little about prostate cancer in Pennsylvania, but
I was a regional director for us TO International in
Pennsylvania was one of my states. See and we saw
things that were moving in other states, things were not
moving in Pennsylvania. That you went to the Congressional Library
and bills like this, bills we have presently in the
(09:46):
House in the Storance Committee, had been introduced in the
legislature since nineteen.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Seventy two for prostate cancer.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
For prostate cancer costs uh, no costs for copey uh
And none of them have ever come out of the insurance.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Now that's ridiculous, you know. For women, Well, we girlfriends
got it together and be banded together. And I remember
you saying that health policy has determined by advocacy, that's
the number one thing. Well, girls have done a heck
of it. Look at the Pennsylvania breast cancer that's right,
pat What an angel that lady is.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
That's right. And when she when she goes up on
Capitol Hills, she has one hundred screaming women behind her.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
When I go up to I got one guy, And
you can be a great advocate, but you can need
some You need some people behind you.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Get your voice exactly. Okay, So pardon me for interrupting you.
So anyway you started this, or when you say you
started it, it takes a heck of a lot to
start an organization, let alone a state wide organization with
the focus that you have. By that burns me up
about they won't get they won't be entrance. Companies won't
pay for PSAs but go ahead, you were telling.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Well, as we say, we started in in nineteen ninety
nine and we looked for other prostate cancer survivors. One
of our problems in trying to raise awareness is that
men who've had prostay cancer and have been treated for
prostac cancer, they're in the closet. They don't come out
of the closet. They don't tell their stories. And there
(11:23):
are stories in many cases are more convincing than hearing
information from a health practitioner. And so women and Pat
and her crew, the women, if somebody is diagnosed with
prostate cancer, they I mean would breast cancer, they wrap
their arms around the women support them in so many
many ways. And when a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer,
(11:43):
there's very few people out there that or activities that
will support him. And one of the problems also, many
times he is solid about his own disease.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Well, I think it's because they they they see that
as their or something right, Oh, how ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
That's right, And so they don't even tell their their
loved ones or they're feminists. They have the problem. Yeah,
And so trying to get them to come out and
openly talk about it is so important because, as you
mentioned earlier, and I'm a good example, if it's caught
in the early stages, you can fight, you can count
constant conquer cancer. In the later stages, it's very expensive
(12:26):
to treat, uh, and the silvafer rate isn't that good.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
So we're going to talk about that. Stage one is
typically what how do they do you know about the
treatment breach stage or where you are with it? Tell
me like, where is it that it's on the is
it on the outside of the prostate, or how does
that work?
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Stage one is when they discover that the cancer is
within the process. Okay, and so by destroying the cancer
within the prostate, either by removal of the prostate or
uh fighting it with radiation or hormonotherapy. UH, they killed
cancer and you're cured. However, as in all cancers, when
(13:04):
it leaves the prostate in stage two, in stage three,
then it's a wild man and it spreads to the
bone stulture, and you can find prostate cells in your brain,
you can find prostate cells in your lungs and there,
and they're malignant at that point. And then it's it's
it's very hard to try to you can't cure it.
(13:27):
But you can prevent its growth, or or cut or
save or.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Keep it from spreading, keep it from spreading.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
But it's the house. The horse is already out of
the barn. When it metastasizes, you're chasing it.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
I've known several older men, men like in their seventies
and eighties, who never had checked, you know. In my
grandfather he died in his nineties and I was just
like three when he died, so I really didn't know him.
But he had prostrate cancer. My dad had it, My
brother had it, but my dad wasn't whis See. I
(14:04):
think these guys who don't have the backbone to go do,
I think they're whisses. My dad was a tough guy,
a Navy vett who was in a place called Tarawa.
People heard me talk about this terrible, terrible place. But
to me, that's the man with the backbone, who cares
about his family, who knows how his family loves him,
who supports his family even financially. He knows if he died,
(14:26):
what's gonna happen to my wife and kids. But he
went and had this son and he was okay. I mean,
he had cancer. My brother fought suit so it's sort
of these gentlemen out there who are not doing it.
You're teaching your sons not to do it. You know,
you're taken a big chance that you're not going to
be around to watch your little girl walk down the aisle,
or see your grandchildren, or see your son or daughter
(14:48):
be some big dreig shot. I don't know how much
more we can do, but you have campaigns. You've been
doing this for quite a while. Tell us about some
of those campaigns, and then we're going to talk about
what you want done in that bill. Those two builds
you're talking about too, well, we.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Have several campaigns. One is called Don't Fear the Finger,
because that men don't will not subject themselves to that disease.
And I've had people say, well, I'm not gonna let
the body put a finger up my tail, you know,
and then five years later I'm sitting by their bedside
and they're dying of this terrible disease.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Tell anybody just that's that's right.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
And so we have we have UH days at the
Capitol where we're trying to get legislators to support our bills.
We go to Women's Expo because women is our best
audience for men's Health, and we talk to women that
there there are these activities to try to get them
to stimulate their men.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Uh, to stimulate your man. Encourage I'm encouraged.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
We'll say you courage. Thank you better we you know,
a couple of years ago, we were at the Senators
baseball game Father's Day and we got fifty men to
get a PSA because they didn't come to the baseball
game to get that test, but it was there, it
was convenient, it was free, and it only took a
couple of minutes and a couple of them had a
(16:13):
high PSA. So we probably saved a couple of lives.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
It's prevention, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
So it's hard work. It's one on one, but we
have We go to men's clubs, church activities, or breweries
or Friday night happy hours wherever men are. That's where
we have to go.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
And anybody listening out there can get a hold of
you and you'll come out and talk. You know, you
have all this set up. You know, we were talking
earlier about the two pieces of legislation. Talk to us
about that.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, we have two pieces of legislation which is presently
pending in the House and the Senate. There's House Bill
two eighty one and then there's Senate Bill four four seven.
Both of these bills have been introduced and they announced
it in their respective insurance committees. We've had difficulty in
the passing getting any of these bills out of the
committee onto the floor for passage because the insurance lobby
(17:09):
is against what we're requesting. And what we're requesting is
that the insurance companies cover any expense dealing with prostate
cancer screening. It's very cost effective and as we all know,
finding diseases in its early stages concruter disease, and it's
(17:29):
a lot close less costly than when the disease metastasized,
major efforts have to be taken. It's very expensive. Yeah,
and the SAVAR rate isn't that good. People In my
case where the disease was found early savar rate is
like ninety eight percent. People who have fantastasized disease and
(17:51):
are being treated to sivar rates like in the twenty
four percentile.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
So we know very basically what they're saying is same
as when Pat Murphy and Missus Minshelle Ridge got the
legislature to get insurance companies to pay for mammograms. Then
it was breast reconstruction. You want somebody, you want the
insurance company to pay for chpsaists.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
That's right now.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
That so okay, So if you wouldn't mind repeating those
two numbers, And I think what the best thing to
do is grassroots efforts. You know that work better than anything.
Our listeners can get in touch with their legislator and
say I want this done. What are those bills again?
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Yeah, it's a House Bill two eighty one and Senate
Bill four four to seven. Okay, And I'm glad you
said that because I tell people I live here in
the Harrisburg area. If you want to see democracy at work,
all you have to do is go to the state
capital and go into the form of the front door.
And every day there's another group there advocating for something.
(18:56):
People see. Well, my phone call won't make a difference.
Well my letter won't make oh yeah, but it does
make it different. And so according to your your senator
or your representative, asking them to support this bill does
make it different.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Get a bunch of people together and tell them what's
going on. You know, I hope that this program people
here that this is simple. I mean, I really don't
think the cost of the PSA is an issue with men,
do you?
Speaker 2 (19:23):
No?
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Yeah, typically, what would you say it is? Is it?
Speaker 2 (19:27):
It's well, you know the costs that based on insurance
and all that. You know, what is the cost of medicine?
Nobody really knows, right, but you know it's it's about
sixty or seventy dollars if you go through your insurance,
and then they put a cope on top of that,
or they there's a cost of visit the physician, so
(19:50):
it comes up to two or three hundred dollars. Yeah. Uh,
And so we're trying to eliminate that barrier so that
make them get this test and find out what their
baseline number.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
But do you think it's really his dollars and cents
that men aren't getting it the test?
Speaker 2 (20:05):
No, it's just no, No, that's that's very true. But
it is a barrier, which wonder Okay, at least that
calls burier. But it's a simple. You know, women, as
they grow up, they are taught to, you know, get
annual examinations and be sensitive to their breast. We men
aren't on taught that, so in many cases. Last time
(20:26):
a man has had his a physical always when he
was seventeen year old and he needed a medical clearance
of play soccer or basketball. Yeah, and then he's healthy
until he's fifty five years old. He hasn't seen a
doctor between that time.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
And there's always I'm too busy. I'll do it, I'll
do it, I'll do it next week, and it never
gets done.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Well, we men are busy people. We have a lot
on our plate, you know, is that what it is?
Speaker 1 (20:51):
It gets me about the test you're saying the different
tests and what you know, what is the finger test
and everything? I was thinking, how would you like to
have a pap smear where they put these clamps in you?
Or how would you like to have a baby where
you could probably drive a truck out of that's I mean,
come on, be cuch a.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
You're so correct. You know the test is a ten
second uncomfortable test. I tell men, ask your wife what
they go through on an annual basis and their annual
examinations more than ten seconds.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
And you used to be you know. Another thing is
years ago when you and I were growing up, women
were at home. Now women are, women are working, They
have high pressure jobs, long hours, they got still got
or expected to take care of the children. Then eventually
you are like taking care of your aging parents. Give
(21:43):
me a give me a break.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Come on, and like you said, you know, when I
was diagnosed thirty four years ago, if my wife had
not assisted me going to the doctor, I would have
been well for five or six more years, fielding fine,
and then all of a sudden, ingo, I would have
had this problem in trying to chase this cancer. And
I would not have seen my daughter married, my grandchildren
grow up, and all those good things.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
And people think it's happened to meet No, that won't
happen to meet my dad lived forever or my uncle.
You know, people just don't get it. That's good because seriously.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
We have health professionals who will bring a lot of
statistics and say to the audience, you know, one and
eight men will get cancer or one and nine, But
the people in the audience will saying, well, I'm not that,
I'm not that.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
No, not me, how about it? I know, I know. Well,
you also have your prostate cancer coalition, your big affair
in the are you having that this year?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
We'll have it again. We don't have a date yet,
but it'll be in.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
September, okay, and what will happen there.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
And we will be on Capitol Hill trying to get
these bills pushed through. You know, unfortunately, legislations move slow
in Pennsylvania or legislative session. It's two years in length, isn't.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
That ridiculous something?
Speaker 3 (22:53):
You know?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
In Maryland's six months.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
That's right, And we work with lobbyists with the American
Cancer Society and some others, and then they work in
three months and six month cycles because of the legislatures
they deal with are of that duration. But ours is
two years, so it moves slow. But we'll be up
on the hill in September trying to get momentum behind
(23:15):
these two bills. And we ask people to go to
our website, Prostate Cancer Coalition dot org, write your senator,
call your representative, talk to your male members in your household,
and try they get some support behind these life saving measures.
When we look at the other industrial countries in the world,
they spend a lot less on healthcare and they live
(23:38):
a lot longer.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
And that's because of prevention.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
And that's because because they have universal health care. We're
not of that. We have a reactive healthcare system that
does a tremendous job in treating people when they're sick,
but spends a little money on trying to keep people well.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I agree with you. Tell us if you could, if
you could summarize all, what would you say if you
had like two or three minutes to say something to
somebody about how important this is. What would you say
to them?
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Well, I think you mentioned it that the men, we
don't survive. We don't live long after we get into
our fifties and sixties and retirement, and it's so important
if we're going to be mentors, especially to the male
younger members in our family. We have responsibilities that we
(24:29):
have to take care of and so and we want
to enjoy our retirement years. And enjoy your retirement years.
You have to have a good quality of life and businesses.
Diseases like prostate cancer can be prevented and you can
(24:49):
enjoy these later latter years. But if you don't do that,
then you have problems.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Absolutely. You know. I thought I think about you quite
a times during the year, and I'm thinking, how could
I help him? What can I do? And I'm thinking,
you know, relationships, no relationship is perfect. If you're married
to somebody, I mean you have and if you all
these couples you see out there are like lovely Devin.
You don't know what goes on at home. It's work.
(25:17):
It's a lot of work. But you know what, guys
will say, oh, stop whining or stop you know what.
But I'll tell you what. This is a time when
I wouldn't care if you if he thought you were
being there, you know what, I would say whatever, And
you know what else I would do. I'd go to
the kids because fathers, especially daughters. Fathers can't say no
(25:38):
to their little girls. And before you know it, and
a lot of the ladies out there, I know a
lot of women out there. Please, if you want to
get together, give me a buzz. We'll all get together
and as our for our husbands and go up to
the state capitol and talk to them up there. I mean,
there's so many ways, because I'll tell you what, when
(25:58):
your spouse is gone, they're gone.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Yeah, you know. I tell people the first eighty years
of life or the hardest then after that.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Oh. My dad used to joke and my mother was
an angel. He used to say, yeah, first hundred years
of marriage, are the worst in the.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
First sixty years of marriage yea, and the first eighty
years of life. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Something. I can't thank you enough for coming in. You're
always so well informed, so passionate. If I could wave
a magic wand and get this all done for you,
I would because I understand it. You know, it's very difficult.
I wanted to ask you to as far as your conference,
can anybody come?
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Anybody can come. And you're talking about the youth. We've
done programs with women, young girls, teenagers and some churches,
and we've taught them procely cancel one on one and
then they make a presentation to the general congregation. And
in one case a man raised. They said, why, thirteen
(26:58):
year old girl, why are you interested in prostay cancer?
And she said, well power, knowledge is power, and I
don't want my grandfather to.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Die, how about it? And that's what hits him. And
that's why I'm saying to you, get those little girls
out there, because you can't say no to your little
daughter or granddaughter. It's really tough. What can people find
when they go to where? First of all, where is
your website? And what can they find on your site?
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Our website is at paproselycancer dot org. You will find
our current events, statistics on prostate cancer, information about the
current bills, and other facts that might help you if
you have prostate cancer. But if you don't have prosecly cancer,
we talk about the screening tools that are available and
(27:44):
other information that might be helpful. And you know, this
whole thing about prosely cancer awareness and mensults is really
the tip of the iceberg. If we're going to be
a health if we're going to stay number one in
the world, since then we have to be healthy and
we have to be educated. And we spend tons of
money in those two areas and we really don't get
a good return on that investment.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
What did you say. It's a sick care system.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
It's a sick care system, not a healthcare system, and
it reacts to diagnosis and treatment. And can you can
you imagine this success is not based on how healthy
your patients are. Success is based on how sick they are.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Yeah, think about that. Well, I encourage everybody out there.
First of our Jim, thank you, thank you so very much.
I want you to get in touch with Colonel Jim Williams.
He is a military Vet board chair for the Pennsylvania
Prostate Cancer Coalition and more importantly, a prostate cancer survivor.
Go to their website at paprostatecancer dot org. Remember to
(28:49):
catch Insight every weekend on many iHeart sitations or any
time on your favorite podcast app. I'm Sylvia Moss. This
has been Insight. Thanks so much for listening. See you
next week. This is Iheard, Public Affairs director and host
of Insights, Sylvia Moss. Each week on Insight, we address
and try to provide the best local resources for issues
that you tell me are the most important to you,
the ones that have the biggest impact on your everyday lives.
(29:13):
INSIGHT's also a place where we can let you know
about exciting community events and introduce you to many of
the incredible people who work hard every single day just
to make all of our lives better. If you're not
able to listen to Insight when it airs on this
station each week, then catch it on your favorite podcast stapp.
Thank you for listening.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Hi, this is doctor Scott Owens with a message about
prostay cancer. Did you know that one in seven men
will get prostay cancer and for some it could be
fatal During the early stages of prose cancer. There are
no symptoms. Once it's advanced, it's probably not curable. That's
why the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Network
recommends annual screening for all men who are of the
age of fifty and also for younger men who have
a family history or are the risk factors. I urge
(29:53):
you to go to your doctors for an annual proseate screening.
When the prose cancer is detected early. Through screening, nearly
all men will survive. Stay cancer screening saves lives. Visit
your doctor every year.
Hi, I'm Sylvia Moss, and this is Insight, a presentation
of iHeartMedia where we really do care about our local
communities and all our listeners who live here. Well, we
all heard of the news that former President Biden was
recently diagnosed with late stage prostate cancer, and estimated one
in nine men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime,
(00:22):
and that makes prostate cancer the most common cancer in man.
Because it tends to grow slowly, prostate cancer is also
one of the most treatable cancers when detected and treated early.
Now I'm going to say that again, when detected and
treated early, their survival rate for prostate cancer is very high.
When a man's diagnosed with late stage prostate cancer, like
(00:45):
President Biden, it typically means that the cancer has spread
to other parts of the body and the chance for
survival is pretty slim. One of the major things that
my guests and I are going to discuss and that
you should certainly pay attention to, is the fact that
here in Pencil, the number of men in our state
who are having prostate cancer screens has decreased while late
(01:06):
stage prostate cancer is increasing. My guest today was diagnosed
with prostate cancer years ago, and at the time prostate
cancer diagnosis was considered a death sentence. But at the
urging of his wife, Colonel Jim Williams, who was a
Vietnam VETT, went to see his doctor for all the
required tests that were available at least at that time.
(01:27):
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer when surgery and hormone therapy,
and since then he's a healthy guy. Jim is not
only a blessed prostate cancer survivor. As the board chair
for the Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition, he's constantly out there
advocating to educate men and their families all about prostate cancer. Jim,
(01:48):
I love seeing you. You're a wonderful person. You're passionate,
and you're constantly trying to get through to these guys.
What's the story about Pennsylvania? Why? I mean, what's going on?
Do you know?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So? Thank you for having me on. Of course, yes,
we know that in two thousand and twenty five thirteen,
four hundred Pennsylvanians will be diagnosed with cancer and fourteen
hundred men will die of cancer. And in many cases
these deaths are needless because men should not die of
(02:22):
this disease.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Wow, I just I can't imagine why this is going on,
but I will tell you. You know, as women, the thing
is breast cancer for the most part, and we're told,
or we learn from our doctors that if you find
a lump, get to the doctor whatever, make sure you
don't have breast cancer. We're also told that you don't
you can have breast cancer, and you don't have to
(02:47):
have a lump. But the whole thing is about early detection.
And for men, I understand that not all the guys
have symptoms, although there are symptoms, but the main thing
we get are mammograms. That's the first step. You guys
get a PSA and guys have a hard time getting
there right.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yes, yeah, men should be as sensitive to their proces
as women are to their breasts. For some reason, and
we don't know why. All men's prostrate enlarge as they
gear older, and in most cases calls them quality of
life problems such as having trouble urinating or getting up
four or five times a night to go to the bathroom,
(03:27):
or having impedence or incontinence problems. And the symptoms for
enlarged prostate are the same as the symptoms for prostate cancer,
and that's why the man should go to the doctor
so it can distinguish between one whether it's cancer or
one of it's just the enlarged prostate. Men take better
(03:49):
care of their cars, and of course they're I mean,
well men understand, you know, putting oil in the car
and getting annual inspections and diagnostic testing is good for
the longevity of the car and saves expenses in the
long run. Well, it's the same way with health. Men
(04:09):
need to know what their baseline numbers are. These diseases
can be cured when they're caught in the early stages,
in the early stages before their symptoms. And that's why
you need to go to the doctor when you're well.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Now, so you're sick, okay, Now, the test is a PSA.
What is it? And tell us how that all works
and flows into the stages of CANAC.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
There's two screening tools presently for prostly cancer. One is
a digital rector examination. And men don't like that.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Hey guys, hear guys laughing about it and everything else,
but they.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
But do you know that that ten second uncomfortable tests
might save your life because the physician can actually feel
a portion of the prostate through the rectum wall, as
was found with President Biden. They found a knowledgele which said, hey,
something's going on, and they, through other testing, found out
he had staged for cancer. So the DRE is screening
(05:08):
tools for prostate cancer. But the second tool is the PSA,
which is a blood test. There's a protein in your
prostate called prostate specific androten, and when things are going
on in your prostate, the protein increases, and so by
taking the blood tests, and it's a test that can
be used that's usually incorporated within the lab work that's
(05:30):
done when you go to the doctors, so it's not
a special test that you have to take. When that
test is taken, they can measure this PSA protein and
they give it a grade from one to ten. And
as the protein increases, the greed goes up. For instance,
in my case, my number was number ten. Well this
(05:54):
is thirty four years ago, okay, And the number, the
magic number at that time was four. And if you
had a number under four year okay, And if you
had a number over four, then that was suspect and
you would probably be referred to a urologist or specialist,
as I was today. There is no magic number because
we know that everybody's different, and so we try to
(06:16):
establish baseline numbers. And that's why that's important.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Now I have to tell our listeners this remarkable man.
You wouldn't believe he's eighty eight years old. I just
cannot believe. It doesn't act, it doesn't look it. We
were talking about years ago when you first were diagnosed
years ago. Was that a death sentence at that point
or did they start having treatment?
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, it was more or less a descenence when you
were diagnosed with prostly cancer and it was considered old
man's disease. That so those who were consciouness as health
people didn't really deal with it until they got into
their fifties and sixties.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Did you have symptoms?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
But I had no symptoms. As you mentioned, my wife
Lois saved my life, I insisting that I go see
the primary care physician. And you know that mentality has
not changed him in thirty four years later. But you
know I was living well. I was jogging up and
down the road every day for exercise. I was a
(07:19):
private police so I was getting flight physicals every three
years and maintained my license. But I had not gone
to my internalists, and fortunate for me, this young guy
introduced a new test in nineteen ninety one called PSA
and that's where the number ten came from, and that's
what led me to a urologist who did a biopsy
(07:40):
and found the cancer.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Well, you know, I want to talk about Pennsylvania prost
Like Coalition, and I want to ask you there wasn't
before that, there wasn't much out there. What possessed you
to get involved in this? I mean, tell us about
the history that how it started, how it was created,
and what you do.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Well, as I said, when I was diagnosed, I was
living in Chicago's or organization call Us to International, which
were men who had medirostatic prostate cancer. And this was
before the Internet, and so they were trying to find
all the information they could about their disease because once
you got metasthetic prostate cancer, there wasn't many options open
for you. And I got involved in that group and
(08:18):
then found out that my experience was unique in America,
that I had no problems. I had a good journey.
And we find that most people find some hiccup along
the road with their cancer journey, either the insurance company
or the physicians or the hospital or something. And I
(08:38):
didn't have any of that. And I was retired military
and had a health policy that paid for all of that.
So I was the exception and not a rule. And
I got involved in advocacy because I said, you know,
my experience should be the experience of everybody. In America,
we spend tons of money on healthcare and we don't
get a good return on that. When I moved to Pennsylvania,
(08:58):
we started myself and followed by name of Bob Alexander,
started a prostate cancer coalition to see Weeker raised the
awareness of prostate cancer in our community.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Did you know the situation in pennsylv Well, of course,
not that the figures are changing, but how much did
you know about prostate cancer in Pennsylvania.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
I knew very little about prostate cancer in Pennsylvania, but
I was a regional director for us TO International in
Pennsylvania was one of my states. See and we saw
things that were moving in other states, things were not
moving in Pennsylvania. That you went to the Congressional Library
and bills like this, bills we have presently in the
(09:46):
House in the Storance Committee, had been introduced in the
legislature since nineteen.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Seventy two for prostate cancer.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
For prostate cancer costs uh, no costs for copey uh
And none of them have ever come out of the insurance.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Now that's ridiculous, you know. For women, Well, we girlfriends
got it together and be banded together. And I remember
you saying that health policy has determined by advocacy, that's
the number one thing. Well, girls have done a heck
of it. Look at the Pennsylvania breast cancer that's right,
pat What an angel that lady is.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
That's right. And when she when she goes up on
Capitol Hills, she has one hundred screaming women behind her.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
When I go up to I got one guy, And
you can be a great advocate, but you can need
some You need some people behind you.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Get your voice exactly. Okay, So pardon me for interrupting you.
So anyway you started this, or when you say you
started it, it takes a heck of a lot to
start an organization, let alone a state wide organization with
the focus that you have. By that burns me up
about they won't get they won't be entrance. Companies won't
pay for PSAs but go ahead, you were telling.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Well, as we say, we started in in nineteen ninety
nine and we looked for other prostate cancer survivors. One
of our problems in trying to raise awareness is that
men who've had prostay cancer and have been treated for
prostac cancer, they're in the closet. They don't come out
of the closet. They don't tell their stories. And there
(11:23):
are stories in many cases are more convincing than hearing
information from a health practitioner. And so women and Pat
and her crew, the women, if somebody is diagnosed with
prostate cancer, they I mean would breast cancer, they wrap
their arms around the women support them in so many
many ways. And when a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer,
(11:43):
there's very few people out there that or activities that
will support him. And one of the problems also, many
times he is solid about his own disease.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Well, I think it's because they they they see that
as their or something right, Oh, how ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
That's right, And so they don't even tell their their
loved ones or they're feminists. They have the problem. Yeah,
And so trying to get them to come out and
openly talk about it is so important because, as you
mentioned earlier, and I'm a good example, if it's caught
in the early stages, you can fight, you can count
constant conquer cancer. In the later stages, it's very expensive
(12:26):
to treat, uh, and the silvafer rate isn't that good.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
So we're going to talk about that. Stage one is
typically what how do they do you know about the
treatment breach stage or where you are with it? Tell
me like, where is it that it's on the is
it on the outside of the prostate, or how does
that work?
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Stage one is when they discover that the cancer is
within the process. Okay, and so by destroying the cancer
within the prostate, either by removal of the prostate or
uh fighting it with radiation or hormonotherapy. UH, they killed
cancer and you're cured. However, as in all cancers, when
(13:04):
it leaves the prostate in stage two, in stage three,
then it's a wild man and it spreads to the
bone stulture, and you can find prostate cells in your brain,
you can find prostate cells in your lungs and there,
and they're malignant at that point. And then it's it's
it's very hard to try to you can't cure it.
(13:27):
But you can prevent its growth, or or cut or
save or.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Keep it from spreading, keep it from spreading.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
But it's the house. The horse is already out of
the barn. When it metastasizes, you're chasing it.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
I've known several older men, men like in their seventies
and eighties, who never had checked, you know. In my
grandfather he died in his nineties and I was just
like three when he died, so I really didn't know him.
But he had prostrate cancer. My dad had it, My
brother had it, but my dad wasn't whis See. I
(14:04):
think these guys who don't have the backbone to go do,
I think they're whisses. My dad was a tough guy,
a Navy vett who was in a place called Tarawa.
People heard me talk about this terrible, terrible place. But
to me, that's the man with the backbone, who cares
about his family, who knows how his family loves him,
who supports his family even financially. He knows if he died,
(14:26):
what's gonna happen to my wife and kids. But he
went and had this son and he was okay. I mean,
he had cancer. My brother fought suit so it's sort
of these gentlemen out there who are not doing it.
You're teaching your sons not to do it. You know,
you're taken a big chance that you're not going to
be around to watch your little girl walk down the aisle,
or see your grandchildren, or see your son or daughter
(14:48):
be some big dreig shot. I don't know how much
more we can do, but you have campaigns. You've been
doing this for quite a while. Tell us about some
of those campaigns, and then we're going to talk about
what you want done in that bill. Those two builds
you're talking about too, well, we.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Have several campaigns. One is called Don't Fear the Finger,
because that men don't will not subject themselves to that disease.
And I've had people say, well, I'm not gonna let
the body put a finger up my tail, you know,
and then five years later I'm sitting by their bedside
and they're dying of this terrible disease.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Tell anybody just that's that's right.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
And so we have we have UH days at the
Capitol where we're trying to get legislators to support our bills.
We go to Women's Expo because women is our best
audience for men's Health, and we talk to women that
there there are these activities to try to get them
to stimulate their men.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Uh, to stimulate your man. Encourage I'm encouraged.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
We'll say you courage. Thank you better we you know,
a couple of years ago, we were at the Senators
baseball game Father's Day and we got fifty men to
get a PSA because they didn't come to the baseball
game to get that test, but it was there, it
was convenient, it was free, and it only took a
couple of minutes and a couple of them had a
(16:13):
high PSA. So we probably saved a couple of lives.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
It's prevention, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
So it's hard work. It's one on one, but we
have We go to men's clubs, church activities, or breweries
or Friday night happy hours wherever men are. That's where
we have to go.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
And anybody listening out there can get a hold of
you and you'll come out and talk. You know, you
have all this set up. You know, we were talking
earlier about the two pieces of legislation. Talk to us
about that.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, we have two pieces of legislation which is presently
pending in the House and the Senate. There's House Bill
two eighty one and then there's Senate Bill four four seven.
Both of these bills have been introduced and they announced
it in their respective insurance committees. We've had difficulty in
the passing getting any of these bills out of the
committee onto the floor for passage because the insurance lobby
(17:09):
is against what we're requesting. And what we're requesting is
that the insurance companies cover any expense dealing with prostate
cancer screening. It's very cost effective and as we all know,
finding diseases in its early stages concruter disease, and it's
(17:29):
a lot close less costly than when the disease metastasized,
major efforts have to be taken. It's very expensive. Yeah,
and the SAVAR rate isn't that good. People In my
case where the disease was found early savar rate is
like ninety eight percent. People who have fantastasized disease and
(17:51):
are being treated to sivar rates like in the twenty
four percentile.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
So we know very basically what they're saying is same
as when Pat Murphy and Missus Minshelle Ridge got the
legislature to get insurance companies to pay for mammograms. Then
it was breast reconstruction. You want somebody, you want the
insurance company to pay for chpsaists.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
That's right now.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
That so okay, So if you wouldn't mind repeating those
two numbers, And I think what the best thing to
do is grassroots efforts. You know that work better than anything.
Our listeners can get in touch with their legislator and
say I want this done. What are those bills again?
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Yeah, it's a House Bill two eighty one and Senate
Bill four four to seven. Okay, And I'm glad you
said that because I tell people I live here in
the Harrisburg area. If you want to see democracy at work,
all you have to do is go to the state
capital and go into the form of the front door.
And every day there's another group there advocating for something.
(18:56):
People see. Well, my phone call won't make a difference.
Well my letter won't make oh yeah, but it does
make it different. And so according to your your senator
or your representative, asking them to support this bill does
make it different.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Get a bunch of people together and tell them what's
going on. You know, I hope that this program people
here that this is simple. I mean, I really don't
think the cost of the PSA is an issue with men,
do you?
Speaker 2 (19:23):
No?
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Yeah, typically, what would you say it is? Is it?
Speaker 2 (19:27):
It's well, you know the costs that based on insurance
and all that. You know, what is the cost of medicine?
Nobody really knows, right, but you know it's it's about
sixty or seventy dollars if you go through your insurance,
and then they put a cope on top of that,
or they there's a cost of visit the physician, so
(19:50):
it comes up to two or three hundred dollars. Yeah. Uh,
And so we're trying to eliminate that barrier so that
make them get this test and find out what their
baseline number.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
But do you think it's really his dollars and cents
that men aren't getting it the test?
Speaker 2 (20:05):
No, it's just no, No, that's that's very true. But
it is a barrier, which wonder Okay, at least that
calls burier. But it's a simple. You know, women, as
they grow up, they are taught to, you know, get
annual examinations and be sensitive to their breast. We men
aren't on taught that, so in many cases. Last time
(20:26):
a man has had his a physical always when he
was seventeen year old and he needed a medical clearance
of play soccer or basketball. Yeah, and then he's healthy
until he's fifty five years old. He hasn't seen a
doctor between that time.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
And there's always I'm too busy. I'll do it, I'll
do it, I'll do it next week, and it never
gets done.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Well, we men are busy people. We have a lot
on our plate, you know, is that what it is?
Speaker 1 (20:51):
It gets me about the test you're saying the different
tests and what you know, what is the finger test
and everything? I was thinking, how would you like to
have a pap smear where they put these clamps in you?
Or how would you like to have a baby where
you could probably drive a truck out of that's I mean,
come on, be cuch a.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
You're so correct. You know the test is a ten
second uncomfortable test. I tell men, ask your wife what
they go through on an annual basis and their annual
examinations more than ten seconds.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
And you used to be you know. Another thing is
years ago when you and I were growing up, women
were at home. Now women are, women are working, They
have high pressure jobs, long hours, they got still got
or expected to take care of the children. Then eventually
you are like taking care of your aging parents. Give
(21:43):
me a give me a break.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Come on, and like you said, you know, when I
was diagnosed thirty four years ago, if my wife had
not assisted me going to the doctor, I would have
been well for five or six more years, fielding fine,
and then all of a sudden, ingo, I would have
had this problem in trying to chase this cancer. And
I would not have seen my daughter married, my grandchildren
grow up, and all those good things.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
And people think it's happened to meet No, that won't
happen to meet my dad lived forever or my uncle.
You know, people just don't get it. That's good because seriously.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
We have health professionals who will bring a lot of
statistics and say to the audience, you know, one and
eight men will get cancer or one and nine, But
the people in the audience will saying, well, I'm not that,
I'm not that.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
No, not me, how about it? I know, I know. Well,
you also have your prostate cancer coalition, your big affair
in the are you having that this year?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
We'll have it again. We don't have a date yet,
but it'll be in.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
September, okay, and what will happen there.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
And we will be on Capitol Hill trying to get
these bills pushed through. You know, unfortunately, legislations move slow
in Pennsylvania or legislative session. It's two years in length, isn't.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
That ridiculous something?
Speaker 3 (22:53):
You know?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
In Maryland's six months.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
That's right, And we work with lobbyists with the American
Cancer Society and some others, and then they work in
three months and six month cycles because of the legislatures
they deal with are of that duration. But ours is
two years, so it moves slow. But we'll be up
on the hill in September trying to get momentum behind
(23:15):
these two bills. And we ask people to go to
our website, Prostate Cancer Coalition dot org, write your senator,
call your representative, talk to your male members in your household,
and try they get some support behind these life saving measures.
When we look at the other industrial countries in the world,
they spend a lot less on healthcare and they live
(23:38):
a lot longer.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
And that's because of prevention.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
And that's because because they have universal health care. We're
not of that. We have a reactive healthcare system that
does a tremendous job in treating people when they're sick,
but spends a little money on trying to keep people well.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I agree with you. Tell us if you could, if
you could summarize all, what would you say if you
had like two or three minutes to say something to
somebody about how important this is. What would you say
to them?
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Well, I think you mentioned it that the men, we
don't survive. We don't live long after we get into
our fifties and sixties and retirement, and it's so important
if we're going to be mentors, especially to the male
younger members in our family. We have responsibilities that we
(24:29):
have to take care of and so and we want
to enjoy our retirement years. And enjoy your retirement years.
You have to have a good quality of life and businesses.
Diseases like prostate cancer can be prevented and you can
(24:49):
enjoy these later latter years. But if you don't do that,
then you have problems.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Absolutely. You know. I thought I think about you quite
a times during the year, and I'm thinking, how could
I help him? What can I do? And I'm thinking,
you know, relationships, no relationship is perfect. If you're married
to somebody, I mean you have and if you all
these couples you see out there are like lovely Devin.
You don't know what goes on at home. It's work.
(25:17):
It's a lot of work. But you know what, guys
will say, oh, stop whining or stop you know what.
But I'll tell you what. This is a time when
I wouldn't care if you if he thought you were
being there, you know what, I would say whatever, And
you know what else I would do. I'd go to
the kids because fathers, especially daughters. Fathers can't say no
(25:38):
to their little girls. And before you know it, and
a lot of the ladies out there, I know a
lot of women out there. Please, if you want to
get together, give me a buzz. We'll all get together
and as our for our husbands and go up to
the state capitol and talk to them up there. I mean,
there's so many ways, because I'll tell you what, when
(25:58):
your spouse is gone, they're gone.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Yeah, you know. I tell people the first eighty years
of life or the hardest then after that.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Oh. My dad used to joke and my mother was
an angel. He used to say, yeah, first hundred years
of marriage, are the worst in the.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
First sixty years of marriage yea, and the first eighty
years of life. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Something. I can't thank you enough for coming in. You're
always so well informed, so passionate. If I could wave
a magic wand and get this all done for you,
I would because I understand it. You know, it's very difficult.
I wanted to ask you to as far as your conference,
can anybody come?
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Anybody can come. And you're talking about the youth. We've
done programs with women, young girls, teenagers and some churches,
and we've taught them procely cancel one on one and
then they make a presentation to the general congregation. And
in one case a man raised. They said, why, thirteen
(26:58):
year old girl, why are you interested in prostay cancer?
And she said, well power, knowledge is power, and I
don't want my grandfather to.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Die, how about it? And that's what hits him. And
that's why I'm saying to you, get those little girls
out there, because you can't say no to your little
daughter or granddaughter. It's really tough. What can people find
when they go to where? First of all, where is
your website? And what can they find on your site?
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Our website is at paproselycancer dot org. You will find
our current events, statistics on prostate cancer, information about the
current bills, and other facts that might help you if
you have prostate cancer. But if you don't have prosecly cancer,
we talk about the screening tools that are available and
(27:44):
other information that might be helpful. And you know, this
whole thing about prosely cancer awareness and mensults is really
the tip of the iceberg. If we're going to be
a health if we're going to stay number one in
the world, since then we have to be healthy and
we have to be educated. And we spend tons of
money in those two areas and we really don't get
a good return on that investment.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
What did you say. It's a sick care system.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
It's a sick care system, not a healthcare system, and
it reacts to diagnosis and treatment. And can you can
you imagine this success is not based on how healthy
your patients are. Success is based on how sick they are.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Yeah, think about that. Well, I encourage everybody out there.
First of our Jim, thank you, thank you so very much.
I want you to get in touch with Colonel Jim Williams.
He is a military Vet board chair for the Pennsylvania
Prostate Cancer Coalition and more importantly, a prostate cancer survivor.
Go to their website at paprostatecancer dot org. Remember to
(28:49):
catch Insight every weekend on many iHeart sitations or any
time on your favorite podcast app. I'm Sylvia Moss. This
has been Insight. Thanks so much for listening. See you
next week. This is Iheard, Public Affairs director and host
of Insights, Sylvia Moss. Each week on Insight, we address
and try to provide the best local resources for issues
that you tell me are the most important to you,
the ones that have the biggest impact on your everyday lives.
(29:13):
INSIGHT's also a place where we can let you know
about exciting community events and introduce you to many of
the incredible people who work hard every single day just
to make all of our lives better. If you're not
able to listen to Insight when it airs on this
station each week, then catch it on your favorite podcast stapp.
Thank you for listening.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Hi, this is doctor Scott Owens with a message about
prostay cancer. Did you know that one in seven men
will get prostay cancer and for some it could be
fatal During the early stages of prose cancer. There are
no symptoms. Once it's advanced, it's probably not curable. That's
why the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Network
recommends annual screening for all men who are of the
age of fifty and also for younger men who have
a family history or are the risk factors. I urge
(29:53):
you to go to your doctors for an annual proseate screening.
When the prose cancer is detected early. Through screening, nearly
all men will survive. Stay cancer screening saves lives. Visit
your doctor every year.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.