At 50, I certainly wasn’t thinking about having any health related issues.  After all I have two young men and a loving wife, I can’t get sick.  All previous checkups with medical professionals indicated that everything was well and good. There was one little test that I had neglected to have up to this point in my life.  After all, the medical community recommended that you needn’t have the test until after 50.  It was my loving wife that persisted that I have a PSA as a baseline.  It was this simple little test and my wife’s encouragement that saved my life.   It has been almost a year now since the cancerous prostate was removed with surgery. In many ways it seems a life time ago.  I have continued to have PSA testing conducted at three month intervals, all of which have shown a decreasing number.  As long as this trend continues additional therapy or treatment will not be needed.

After the surgery I met with my minister to seek his council.  He shared with me his belief that this illness will become a blessing to me.   Thank God from whom all blessings flow. For this has truly been a blessing in many ways.  It has been a blessing for my faith; God has used this illness to open my eyes to my relationship with Him.   It has been a blessing to my family; we take nothing for granted.  It has presented opportunities for me to reach my friends and acquaintances, for I encourage all to have the test for early detection.  I became active in getting the testing made available where I work.  A local hospital now comes to our work site to offer the test, making it easier than ever to monitor our health.  I have received a blessing from all these opportunities.