LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A retired chef who's successfully battled cancer said it's always important to listen to your body especially when it comes to your health.
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and according to the University of Louisville Health System it’s the second-leading cause of cancer death right behind lung cancer.
The healthcare system said about one and eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, but for African American men, it's one in six men who will be diagnosed.
Sixty-two-year-old James "Jamie" Ware unfortunately fell into this statistic. He said his views on life changed when he got a phone call while on vacation in relation to some pain and discomfort he was feeling.
"For the rest of that time in an Orlando, Florida sunshine vacation, very much needed vacation, it was like the world dropped," Ware said.
Ware was diagnosed with stage 3B prostate cancer after welcoming in the new year in 2020. After getting back to Louisville, he underwent radiation treatments at UofL Health's Brown Cancer Center.
"Twenty-four treatments I believe and everything went well and I'm here," Ware said. "I'm here to tell the story."
Ware's radiation oncologist Dr. Scott Silva said he was given the option of surgery or radiation. Ware chose the radiation treatment.
"One thing that I told him, and I tell all my patients this, is that most men who have prostate cancer will not pass away from prostate cancer," Dr. Silva said.
According to Dr. Silva prostate cancer is a very treatable disease. Even those with a stage four diagnosis can live a long life if it's managed properly and caught early enough.
"Black men are at higher risk for more aggressive types of prostate cancer," Dr. Silva said. "So it's very important especially for black men to have a prostate-specific antigen screening done earlier starting around age 40 to 45."
In just two years, Ware finished his treatments and now he shares what the experience was like.
"At the last radiation I came back a week later took X-rays and everything and found out I was cancer free," Ware said. "I got to ring the bell with the staff and my fiancé. Everyone who comes into this building knows the sound of the bell and what that means. So it was a great stress reliever."
Ware said it's important to listen to your body and your family when going through this type of journey.
"There is no family history of cancer in my family but I have kids in Chicago, born and raised in Chicago and I had to look back and get in touch with them and tell them to get checked out," Ware said.
He's now married, enjoying his retirement and is in the process of checking off a bucket list of activities which includes traveling. The next bucket list item he hopes to accomplish is jumping out of an airplane.
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