As a prostate cancer survivor, I was buoyed by the Sept. 15 Maine Voices column (“Prostate cancer is ‘the good cancer’ – or is it?”). No cancer is good, least of all prostate cancer, whose treatment can be speciously delayed by the old chestnut that a man will die of old age before he dies of prostate cancer – a faux message, like sitting on a time bomb. Egregiously worse is the anodyne “watchful monitoring” to postpone medical intervention.

Having undergone three biopsies before my prostate’s atypical cells were deemed cancerous, I am indebted to Dr. Jesse Sammon at Maine Medical Partners Urology, for encouraging me to adopt a proactive approach, and to Dr. Matthew Parsons at MaineHealth Cancer Care in Sanford, who prescribed radiation followed by hormone suppression treatment. I am equally grateful to the radiation oncology team at Cancer Care: Amy, Lucy, June and others, whose dedication to the healing arts inspired me to fight the good fight and win.

In early October 2022, when I rang the bell at the completion of 28 days of radiation, I received a new lease on life for the balance of my natural days. While some men are reluctant to consider treatment that could jeopardize their sexual manhood, it takes masculine courage to recognize that manhood is defined by more than the prostate.

Albert Black
Kennebunk