As the adage goes, “life comes at you fast.” I never imagined prostate cancer would become part of my story. At 37, I felt healthy, was focused on a new job and my family, and was settling into life after moving to Austin. Cancer wasn’t even on my radar. So when I went in for a routine checkup, the last thing I expected was news that hinted something could be seriously wrong. So the adage is correct: Life can change in an instant.
In the summer of 2018, I went in for my first official checkup with a new family doctor after moving to Austin the year before. My doctor, Ann Hathcock, DO, was highly recommended by my in-laws, who had seen her for years. She was thorough, asking detailed questions about my family’s health. I shared that my grandmother had stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her lungs and that my aunt had recently been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, just weeks before my appointment.
I had no symptoms and never even considered prostate cancer a concern. But Dr. Ann, drawing on her research and professional development, decided to include a PSA test in my bloodwork. “It can’t hurt to check,” she said in hindsight, when I asked her what made her run this test. I had never heard of the test before. It measures prostate-specific antigen in the blood, and high levels can be an early warning sign of prostate cancer. I felt completely fine: No pain, no changes, nothing unusual. Yet when the results came back, my PSA was higher than normal.
At first, Dr. Ann suspected a prostate infection and prescribed antibiotics. But after two rounds of antibiotics over the course of two months, my PSA climbed even higher. That was when my world began to shift. Even then, cancer didn’t cross my mind. I still believe that it was because I felt perfectly healthy that I chose not to worry but instead simply followed whatever Dr. Ann recommended.
Dr. Ann quickly referred me to a urologist. I had my first appointment to meet the urologist, who wanted me to come back for a biopsy. This urologist seemed a bit cold to me from the very beginning, to the point that I actually didn’t even realize what the biopsy entailed until I arrived for my second visit and was on the table. I didn’t feel rushed per se, but I certainly didn’t feel like I’d had everything explained to me.
After a biopsy, the truth was clear. That night, I was told I had stage 1 prostate cancer. Hearing those words at 37 was surreal, something I associated with older men, not me.
November 1, 2018, the night I learned my diagnosis remains seared in my memory, not just for the news of cancer itself, but for the way it unfolded. A week after my biopsy, I returned for the results. However, even though I had already paid for the biopsy, the urologist refused to see me to go over the findings without another copay. My wife protested, insisting we shouldn’t have to pay again just to receive results.
After nearly an hour in the lobby and waiting area with my children in tow, he finally called me in and told me I had prostate cancer. I immediately reacted in disbelief, shocked that I might have been sent home with nothing more than a chart on paper, leaving me to figure out the results on my own. Every time I think of that night, the mix of fear, frustration, and sadness over that hurdle comes rushing back.
After my diagnosis, I had to act quickly. On June 13, 2019, I underwent a radical prostatectomy with Eric Giesler, MD, who was the best urologist I could’ve chosen after the issue with the first urologist. I chose to have surgery during the summer because, at the time, I was working for a school district and had summers off.
Once my prostate was removed, my cancer was found to be an aggressive stage 2. My assumption is that since this cancer was aggressive, it likely went from stage 1 to stage 2 between November 2018 and June 2019. It was either that or it may have been a misdiagnosis with the first urologist. Still, because it was caught early, my prognosis was good, and I could maintain my quality of life. I was grateful for Dr. Ann’s instincts, for early detection, and for being there for my family.
The hardest part of everything was the isolation. At 37, I was the youngest patient my urology team had ever treated, and the support group I sought out, Us Too Austin, was filled with men decades older. I remember when I attended my first meeting, which was before my surgery, it scared me so much that I told my wife I no longer wanted to go through with treatment. (Thankfully, I continued with treatment.)
After surgery, reflecting on my experience, I knew my story couldn’t end with survival. Many young men aren’t aware that prostate cancer can affect them, and families often avoid discussing health history. I partnered with Zero-The End of Prostate Cancer and co-founded Bastrop County’s Pink and Blue Affair to raise awareness about prostate cancer. My urologist even began referring newly diagnosed young men to me, so they know they’re not alone.
I learned much later that my uncle had survived prostate cancer five years before my diagnosis. In hindsight, had I known this, I might have been screened sooner.
Without that blood test, I may never have known about my prostate cancer until it was too late. Because early-stage prostate cancer has no symptoms, I felt perfectly healthy. It was only because I went to a routine check-up that my diagnosis journey started. Without going for a physical, I might not be here to tell this story. It took only a couple of months from that first PSA test to my biopsy and diagnosis, yet in that short time, my life changed completely.
If my journey teaches anything, it’s this: Don’t wait for symptoms, know your family history, and push for tests, even if you’re young. Prostate cancer gave me no warning, but a routine blood test caught it early.
I have later learned through advocacy and educating myself that prostate cancer is more aggressive in men of color but can also be more silent in the earlier stages, just like mine. Now my purpose is clear: Not just surviving but helping other men avoid feeling as blindsided and alone as I did.
