Excerpt: ‘You have cancer’

Don’t claim it.  Don’t buy in to it.
Do: “You have cancer” is an incomplete sentence. It should be, “You have cancer, and you can fight it. You are a winner and you can beat cancer. We are just ordinary guys and everyday people who beat cancer and you can too!

Don’t take cancer lying down.
Do: Be an active participant in your medical treatment. Be positive.  First you pray.  Pray hard, because with prayers you will win.  Start moderate exercise to engage your body to fight the cancer.  Treat yourself to your favorite foods. Embrace a stubborn determination and tell your doctor to explain whatever you don’t understand. Take your spouse/significant other whenever possible. Take vitamins to engage your immune system, especially vitamin “C” and Shark Cartilage. Humors is healing — watch funny movies, comedy shows and laugh out loud!  Listen to your favorite music and sing.  Stay busy.

Don’t go into seclusion. Do not hide this from your family and friends.
Do: Let friends know what you are going through. It opens up an opportunity for them to express their love for you. Surround yourself with people who love you — they are your best allies, especially your wife, children and grandchildren. Allow visitors and allow them to do something to help you. Make them to feel comfortable around you, but don’t let them stay long.

Don’t say “Why me.” Don’t blame yourself. Don’t beat up on yourself.
Do: Consider yourself a role model for someone else. Maybe it is because you are a winner, a survivor. Maybe you can handle this. Be a model patient.

Don’t worry about the bills.
Do: Focus on taking care of cancer first. You must understand that worrying will stress you out and you do not need any more stress. Try not to worry about anything. Beating cancer is your top priority. Don’t worry about the cost of your medicine or the cost of your care. Get what you need.  The bills will always be with you.

Don’t accept the first opinion.
Do: Do get a second opinion. You have a responsibility and a right to get a second opinion, and don’t be apologetic about wanting this.

Don’t be afraid to look into the correlation between prostate cancer and Agent Orange.
Do: Consider your family history or previous experiences that may have exposed you to an environment where you may have been exposed to cancer-causing elements.

Reprinted with permission from “You Have Cancer: A Death Sentence That Four African-American Men Turned into an Affirmation to Remain in the 'Land of the Living'” (Atlas Books), by Preston J. Edwards, Sr., Benjamin Priestley, Ronald Bazile, Sr., and (the late) Ellis Brossett, Sr.

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