Brazoria County man spreads awareness about prostate cancer, importance of screenings
SWEENY, Texas - This "Movember", when we concentrate on men's health, a man from Brazoria County is helping raise awareness about prostate cancer after becoming the seventh brother in his family to be diagnosed with it.
Doctors say while most prostate cancers occur in men who don't have a history of it, having a dad or brother with it more than doubles a man's risk.
SUGGESTED: Brain cancer survivor’s toy drive needs donations
We met up with Willie Miles from Sweeny at the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge, a safe haven to give out-of-town patients fighting cancer a place to stay. He has been undergoing prostate screenings for 20 years, because he knew he was at high risk of prostate cancer.
"Screening is very, very important. Let me say my prostate awareness started 20 years ago when I was in the room when my first cousin died from prostate cancer, and I said to myself then, that is not going to happen to me. I'm going to get my annual prostate screening done on a yearly basis," explains Willie.
Willie believed "if" he was ever diagnosed, it would be early stage, since he never missed a yearly screening. Instead, he was shocked to find out he had late stage or stage 4 prostate cancer. Willie has nine siblings, and he's the last of seven brothers to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
SUGGESTED: How routine work hours became a life-changing decision
"For the rest of my brothers, they were able to have surgery and be done with it, but I had to have radiation and hormone therapy," states Willie.
He learned a lot from his brothers about how to fight disease.
"You can let it depress you or it can get you down or you can choose to say ‘no, I'm going to press on with my life, I'm going to press on with my goals in life,’ and that's the approach I took with this," says Willie.
Willie now shares his simple lifestyle changes.
"I'm eating better, eating a lot more vegetables and exercising and the doctor told me, exercise is good for you to go to the gym and lift weights and be strong, so it's been really good," says a smiling Willie.
He hopes others can learn how tweaking your lifestyle can not only make you feel better, but help you live healthier and hopefully prevent cancer.
For more information about prostate cancer: https://www.pcf.org
The American Cancer Society is a strong resource too: https://www.cancer.org