By Teddy Deane

September is prostate cancer awareness month.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. A total of 5,700 men in Washington were diagnosed in 2013 and 730 died from it.

Having said that, most men live with it for a long time. Diagnosis requires that you pay attention to it so you donʼt end up in the second category, if you can help it.* Keeping informed and helping others is a good place to start.

As a 17-year survivor myself, I have observed the changes in attitudes that this disease has gone through for quite a while. When I was diagnosed in 1997 there was not a lot of information available, men mostly shied away from talking about it; information groups were hard to come by and treatments were much more primitive than they are today.

Diagnosis, evaluation, treatments, and other options have come a long way thanks to science and echnology, and there are more and more support and information groups, including an “UsToo” group (a part of “USToo” International) in Friday Harbor that meets monthly at the Mullis Center.

Unfortunately, mens’ attitudes toward the disease still remain somewhat closeted, although they are getting better as public awareness does reduce some of the fear older men have about discussing it. Our “Us Too” group has grown significantly over the last decade and I feel that we have helped a lot of men who have come in, very anxiously, with a new diagnosis.

Seeing all of us survivors and hearing about our experiences has not only given these men encouragement but also a better handle on what to expect in everyday terms. We also try to keep current with technology and local practices, and we try to answer as many questions as possible without giving medical advice.

US Too, Friday Harbor Chapter, is a community service for anyone wanting to know more about prostate cancer issues and everyone, male and female, are welcome as PCa is a family disease. We also encourage PCa survivors in the community to check in at least once in a while, because itʼs not about you, itʼs about who you can help.

US Too meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month, starting in September, at the Mullis Center, from 6-7 p.m.

*(Early diagnosis helps longevity, PSA screening helps early diagnosis, get it checked).

— Editor’s note: Teddy Deane is Friday Harbor Chapter leader, contact him at, 360-378-5250, or, teddy@teddydeane.com