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Ed Sellers and his wife Judy enjoy life now thanks to the surgeons and staff at South Central. |
A Healthy Habit Saves Ed Sellers' Life
The
month of May haunts Ed Sellers like a nagging bad dream. It was
during that time seven years ago, when Ed, then age 62, found
out that he had the two words no man ever wants to hear: prostate
cancer. During an annual checkup, Ed's family physician, Dr.
Michael Casey, noticed a change in Ed's prostate specific antigen
blood test (PSA) and sent him to South Central's urologist, Dr.
Horace Watkins, who confirmed that he had cancer. "I didn't
know whether I was going to die," Ed timidly exclaims in
a soft baritone voice. Ed broke the heartbreaking news to his
wife Judy over a cellular phone on her way home from work. "We
were both in shock," adds Judy in disbelief. "I normally
would go with him when he would have his checkup," she says
somehow disappointed with her out-of-pattern behavior. And further
noted, "I guess we both didn't expect to hear that result."
Ed and Judy met at a local diner in Laurel that fateful May afternoon,
and since then faced the cancer together.
Ed did not experience any symptoms one might think is associated with any treacherous malady. "Ed was fortunate that his cancer was detected in its primary stage," Dr. Watkins says of his long-time, health-conscious patient. Prostate cancer often does not produce any symptoms in its early stage, making the fear of impotence and bladder control problems all the more frightening than the cancer itself. If the disease is detected early, the patient has a better chance of successful treatment with minimal side effects. Some forms of prostate cancer can spread quickly and aggressively to different parts of the body, which explains why early diagnosis is important.
Ed worked as a freight truck driver for 35 years before he retired and decided to raise cattle full-time at his livestock farm in Wayne County. The freight truck company he had worked for required a yearly physical and, unbeknownst to Ed, the healthy lifestyle he picked up from his days as a truck driver proved to be an invaluable asset several years later. "If it wasn't for my yearly checkup, I would not have known that I had cancer," he says with a modest smile.
"I was given three choices by Dr. Watkins," Ed recalls. "I chose to have the surgery and get the cancer out of my body," he states. "Waiting was not an option," adds Judy Sellers. Dr. Watkins then referred Ed to Dr. Nathan P. Shappley, who performed the three-hour surgery. "We chose to have my surgery at South Central because it was close to home and it was convenient for our family, church family, and friends to visit me there," Ed says.
Prostate cancer affects men in all walks of life, and the chances of acquiring prostate cancer becomes more common in men past the age of 50. It is estimated that up to one quarter of all men have some cancerous cells in their prostate glands by age 50 and half of all men by age 80. "When Ed was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I told all the men at the automotive place I work for to have a PSA test, because you can never tell who has cancer," Judy says with a determined disposition to spread the word about the disease. There is no way to predict exactly who will have prostate cancer but certain factors contribute to the threat of developing the disease, such as age, family history, environment, diet, and ethnicity. Aside from cancer, more than half of all men will experience some type of prostate problem in their later years, such as inflammation of the prostate (prostitis) and noncancerous enlargement called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. "When my neighbor found out I had prostate cancer, he visited me at home because we had the same problem except his was full-blown," Ed sadly notes of his friend who eventually died from the disease.
Even though the prostate is not part of the male urinary system, it's important to one's health because of its location. When a disease develops in the prostate, the prostate tissue can swell and become larger, squeezing the urethra and making it difficult to urinate. Nine out of 10 men survive prostate cancer if it is diagnosed before it spreads to other areas and vital organs. Today, Ed Sellers is cancer-free. Judy lovingly looks at her husband and in testimony to his recovery says, "We have been so blessed by God." Ed diligently visits South Central's urologist, Dr. Horace Watkins, every six months. "I highly recommend having an annual physical checkup," Ed soundly advises and notes that it was the act that helped save his life.
—Daphne Matias-Creel
Mrs. Creel is a volunteer public relations intern for South Central. She studied at St. Thomas Aquinas College, New York, where she earned her BA in Communication Arts.