HAMPTON, Va, (WAVY) — On Monday evening, women will have a chance to talk with other women, about a sensitive issue affecting the man in their lives — prostate cancer.
“When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014 I knew that I had to be with him,” says Patricia Pegram, whose husband of nearly 40 years, Larry, is a survivor.
“He’s doing excellent in terms of his diagnosis. His PSAs are still untraceable.”
PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen. According to the American Cancer Society, it’s a key marker that health professionals look for in the blood to help determine if a man has cancer. Above 2.5 might prompt your doctor to urge more testing.
Patricia is in one of the first groups of women who’ve organized in an effort to help the men in their lives acknowledge, fight, survive, and even prevent prostate cancer. She says early detection and surgery, are helping Larry beat it.
Patricia and Larry have also been helped by the passionate advocacy of prostate cancer survivor, Charlie Hill, president of the Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum.
“Women, typically, bear the brunt of a lot of what happens with prostate cancer, primarily because they end up being caregivers.”
Hill, a prostate cancer survivor, says Monday’s zoom session is a unique opportunity aimed at saving lives with knowledge.
“We had one couple who called us to meet with them because the husband was so devastated that he had prostate cancer, he could not even look at his wife,” says Golden Bethune Hill, wife of Charlie Hill.
“My husband, Carter, was sitting in the dark and I walked in and he said ‘I have cancer,'” says Joyce Melvin Jones of Hampton. “Being an attorney, I got right to work, I got my file out.”
“I am a registered nurse,” says Shirley Pinckney, whose husband, Bill, is also a cancer survivor.
“During his treatment, one key thing is to be there. Guys don’t like to talk. Sometimes you just have to pull things out of them.”
Charlie Hill and other cancer survivors with the Hampton Roads Prostate Forum are offering women, particularly, a chance to talk about their experiences and get questions answered.
“I believe that we do not solve this prostate cancer problem without the women,” says Hill.
And Gladys Clarke, wife of prostate cancer survivor, Curtis Clark, agrees. “We’re partners in this. And whatever we do, we’re in this together.”
The HRPHF “Family Chat” zoom session starts Monday night at 6 and runs until 7.
To register for the zoom session, CLICK HERE.
After registering, you will see a link to click on which will allow you to join the session.
Charlie Hill also welcomes calls. You can reach him at 757-827-0488.
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