Prostate Cancer - Tragic Deaths Of Famous Men
As a prostate cancer survivor, I often use this blog (my ethics speaker blog) to discuss issues of prostate cancer and what can be done to cure this disease - dreaded by men worldwide. When I arrived home today there was a wonderful magazine on our kitchen counter - LifeExtension - that my wife brought home. She purchased it for other reasons, but what caught my attention was an outstanding article entitled: Merv Griffin’s Tragic Death from Prostate Cancer.
In the magazine they publish what they refer to as a short list of Famous Men who died from prostate cancer. While I won’t list them all, here’s some for us to remember and think about:
- Merv Griffin
- Dan Fogelberg
- Bill Bixby
- Telly Savalas
- Frank Zappa
- Earl Woods (Tiger Woods Dad)
- Bobby Riggs
- Thomas Witter (Dean-Witter-Reynolds)
- Johnny Ramone
- Steve Ross (CEO Time-Warner)
This is truly a short list that I selected - they’re are far to many more to list in this short blog
Portions of the article appear as follows:
Prostate cancer kills 300,000 Americans each year. With proven means of prevention and early detection, death from prostate cancer should be a rarity and not so common.
Merv Griffin was initially treated for prostate cancer back in 1996, but the disease returned with a vengeance to claim his life in 2007. News accounts described Merv’s final days living on feeding tubes and morphine drops, as metastasized prostate cancer cells ravaged his bones, liver and lungs.
It often takes a celebrity death for the public to pay proper attention to a curable disease. If there is any consolation to the ordeal Merv Griffin suffered, it will be that more men will be screened and follow proven preventive strategies to reduce their risk of developing this insidious disease. For example, a recent study published by the National Cancer Institute showed that men slash their risk of prostate cancer by up to 52% by regularly consuming cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli and cauliflower).
The article is excellent. Is the content a magic bullet? No. But from a vast amount of research I have conducted (for personal benefit), I know that their findings are well documented and simple “life style” changes can have a huge effect on your risk of contracting prostate or breast cancer.
Having been diagnosed (quite by accident) at 47 with prostate cancer, I know what it feels like to be told - when you think you’re healthy as a horse - that you have cancer. After getting over the shock - I began extensive research as to the treatment that would allow me to avoid what Merv Griffin faced.
Today, based on my routine tests, I am cancer free. However, let me caution my readers - much as I was cautioned not long ago - surgical removal or any other treatment does not mean that cancer can not return. Merv Griffin is a perfect example of what can happen. Hence, for those of us who have been diagnosed and successfully treated for prostate cancer, we cannot reduce or ignore methods for reducing risk or maintaining health.
A copy of the LifeExtension article can be found at this link: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2008/jan2008_awsi_01.htm
Here’s to your health! Comments welcome oh and drop by my web site if your business or association is ever in need of a keynote or motivational speaker http://www.chuckgallagher.com
