I always thought of myself as a healthy and fit 48-year-old. I exercised and ate right. I got regular checkups. I tried to do things the right way — even if that meant going against conventional wisdom.
Mainstream science such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that men should wait until they are 55 to discuss screening for prostate cancer with their doctor.
The task force also says there isn’t enough scientific evidence to make a separate, specific recommendation on prostate specific antigen-based screening for prostate cancer in Black men. That isn’t good enough.
In early 2020, knowing the facts about the death rates of Black men from prostate cancer, I went to see my doctor, and during my routine visit,I decided to go against the task force and ask for a prostate screening.I did not feel sick. I had no symptoms. I just decided it would be a good idea to gettested.
Unbeknownst to me, this may have been one of the most important decisions I have ever made in my life.
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