INDIANAPOLIS — Daryl Wilson said he learned discipline and the value of process during his 30-year career at Eli Lilly and Company.
The 65-year-old man applied the lessons to his personal life, too. Wilson is meticulous with his care, works out six days a week and stays up-to-date on health screenings and appointments.
That diligence paid off at his last visit to his primary care physician. A routine blood test detected an elevated PSA, which stands for prostate-specific antigen. That led to a referral to a urologist, who conducted further tests and diagnosed Wilson with early-stage prostate cancer.
The news hit Wilson hard.
"You go into shock. You feel like you kind of have an out-of-body experience. You know, that can't be me, this can be happening to me," Wilson said.
After consulting his doctor, Wilson opted for robotic prostatectomy and is now cancer-free.
Dr. Chad Reichard, a urology oncologist who practices at Ascension St. Vincent, said men too often fall behind on their screenings. Reichard said men avoid and delay, which allows serious and sometimes symptom-free cancers to go unchecked.
"I think that it's the unknown [that] is scary, and so the misconceptions that I most often see revolve around a lack of knowledge and information," Reichard said. "I would say, don't let the unknown scare you into inaction, but be proactive."
According to ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer, African American men have a high risk of prostate cancer, and Wilson encourages other men to know their status.
"I think for a lot of men, it's a matter of getting off this couch no matter what. Get off the couch, go to your doctor, and don't put it off," Wilson said. "Putting it off can really make a big difference. It's better to go early than later. It's better to be proactive than reactive."
For Check Up 13 this month, qualified men may register for a free prostate cancer screening. Click here to register and see if you qualify.
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