News I Didn't Want to Hear

The three words you don't want to hear from a doctor are "you have cancer."

I heard those words recently from my urologist. "It's aggressive, but not the most aggressive kind." The doctor informed me that it was prostate cancer and reminded me that I had an enlarged prostate. Every urologist I saw over the last 50 years told me I had an enlarged prostate and I even had surgery to reduce it several years ago and my current urologist suggested we reduce it even more with more surgery before I start on the road to radiation.

I followed his advice and he operated on me in July. My wife, who had a nursing background back in her single days, was a great help. I face 41 days of straight Monday through Friday radiation in September and decided to start that process the Monday after Sukkos as I was hospitalized again after my wife took a look at me and took my blood pressure only five days after my Lakewood prostate surgery.

The nurses did their best to send me home for Shabbos after three days in the hospital and I was released about 4 p.m. Friday afternoon. Home was the best medicine as my wife is my favorite nurse and favorite cook. I thought I faced another set of radiation before the 41 days as that was what was done not too long ago, but two new pills, Erleada and Orgovyx, by the Biologics company, replaced the first months of another kind of radiation.

The pills are easy to take – once a day with water – and I hope to start the 41 straight days of radiation in Lakewood after I return after Sukkos from my beloved Detroit. I'll keep you posted. Here's why. Since this column is read by thousands, I feel I have a responsibility to get you to make an appointment with your urologist especially if you remember the 1950s as I do. If you do, you're old enough to be at risk for prostate cancer.

Most of you will not have prostate cancer, and if you do, you'll be among the lucky ones – unlike me – that have an aggressive form according to my urologist. Most of you men (unlike me) will not have to undergo an operation to reduce the size of your prostate but you will have to face radiation. I hope to turn 86 before the end of the year and hope to be around for several more baseball seasons. I'll keep you updated on my situation in the hope that you'll see your doctor and if there's something to catch, it could be dealt with.

I can't figure out former president Joe Biden's situation. The family revealed that his prostate cancer "has spread and metastasized into his bones and further." Hunter Biden told the press weeks ago "that his father was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer last May and it's very painful and debilitating in many respects." Did they wait too long to get the 83-year-old Biden the checkups he needed?

If you're old enough, you'll remember the popular song in the late 1950s, "Que Sera, Sera." It means whatever will be, will be; the future is not ours to see. It's been going off in my head ever since it made its debut whenever I have to face something tough. My version goes, "Whatever will be, will be, Hashem is with me, and I accept what will be."

If you want to put in a good word for me with the Healer who runs the universe, my name is Yisroel Yaakov ben Leah.