A gentle reminder!

Tony, sorry to hear of your friends troubles. I feel your pain as I too have loved ones in critical trouble.

I guess most of us in this forum are all too well aware of the need for PSA testing and I think it is incumbent upon us to spread the word to our less aware brothers.

I'm not usually one to make New Year Resolutions, but I will resolve to urge my male friends to undergo PSA testing.

With a daughter battling breast cancer, I also push my female friends to undertake regular mammograms. That often brings weird looks, but when I explain why, it is usually accepted in good faith.

Tony, sorry to hear of your friends troubles, and its effect on you. He's got a great support system with you as his friend.

I've talked to all of my friends and relatives, and will continue to do so. I've had 2 or 3 friends who had not been tested, or hadn't been in a number of years, , whom I've convinced to start, and thank goodness all was fine. I'll continue to push people I know to do so.

Parents should not have to watch their children battle cancer, Chask. But I have seen it many times over my 9 years here. And I'm watching it happen right now. My friend has posted here before and he is 46 yo today. He started hospice this past week and like everything else in his case he did so late.

Getting my tools ready to head over there and install rails in his home. I already had a heart to heart with his boys. One that is on leave from serving our nation and the other not yet on his senior year of high school. His family stuck to me like glue from the first day I saw him and his wife walk through the door of my UsTOO chapter meeting I run. He is a Las Vegas Strip performer of a very popular show. He actually did a show on Christmas Eve. When you put into perspective what I am running over there to do today you kinda get a little understanding of the huge heart and determination this very young guy has fought with.

His parents are hurting much more than I.

Heart breaking. Get the PSAs early and then fight overly aggressive treatment if needed. If I had it to do over again I would get earlier and more frequent testing PLUS hope for a mind that would pay attention to what the test results were telling me.

Post Edited (BillyBob@388) : 1/2/2016 6:19:45 PM (GMT-7)

Tony--You have done incalculable good for others, whether they are battling cancer or facing other life issues. God bless you for your labor on behalf of others. Your friend is unlucky to have terminal cancer, but so lucky to have you as a friend. It's always good to see your name on the board. Take care

Love you all.

I am feeling a lot better. There is no need for rails. It was really obvious that all in that there were doing better tonight as well when I was over there. Peace has set in. Jason has declined very quickly and he is shutting down. I may be back there next week but I don't believe that Jason will get much further than the next 48 hours. Please say a prayer for Jason Mackenroth. Drummer in the Henry Rollins Band, Mack, and Blue Man Group Las Vegas. But also, husband, son, father...and friend.

Peace and love to all.

Post Edited (Tony Crispino) : 1/2/2016 9:07:55 PM (GMT-7)

Ugh!
It's all good. I've been praying for all on the website since I arrived. Got yelled at about it. Never stopped me though. Peace! To all.

so sad Tony.... thoughts and prayers to you and the young man's family....

I will be at the front of the line beating the drum fro screening at 40....no on can convince me that it's bad.

So sorry to hear about your friend. I'll join you in praying for him and his family today.

I agree 100% about testing. My DH would likely be beyond help (or nearly beyond help) now if he had not gotten a PSA test. Our son-in-law (a NP) insisted. I get odd looks when I advocate for men getting PSA tests (probably the same look you get when you advocate for mammograms), but after this last year and a half, I feel a duty to raise awareness.

We'll pray for peace for you, your friend and his family.

we were both that young man at one point.

ed

Post Edited By Moderator (Tudpock18) : 1/4/2016 12:03:00 PM (GMT-7)

TY Jim,
All the best to you, sir.

I think it is worth noting that in my 9+ years at this website, and thousands having stopped in, that Jason probably had 3 or 4 peers here that I could identify and even still may have been the most aggressive I have seen. That's why he didn't hang around here much. He was a Gleason 5+4=9 at diagnosis with a PSA of 63 and leg pains. I believe he was a G10.

Jason was immediately placed on Standard of Care (SoC) ~ Lupron and bicalutimade. The SoC has changed since because of the CHAARTED trial that clearly would have had him adding chemotherapy. Which was something he didn't want to do because of his profession but we talked about it. Jason had an initial drop to 2.7 on the PSA which then he came back for his next shot tests showed he was already refractory and had a 4 week doubling rate velocity. It is very possible that he could have been screened at age 42 and had no signs of the disease and ten months later the PSA of 63 could be achieved with this aggressive doubling rate of the disease. Next came Provenge, Zytiga, Xtandi, Docetaxel, Cabazataxel, experimentals, etc. All with similar results ~ a brief relief followed by an aggressive jump unlike the most aggressive I've seen here.

In any case, he was a great guy. A very respected rocker that had none of it in his ego. All of the press I'm reading shares the same thoughts that he was nice, funny, hard working, and smart. I am so very happy, even for the short 3+ years I knew him, that he entered my life.

TY for the post, Jack. Both now and when you put out Paul's statements in November. I met Paul in 2008 and saw him again last year and held a very similar conversation with him. His story is the tale of two Pauls. Schellhammer operated on surgeon Paul Lange, and Paul Lange operated on Schellhamer. Lange had adverse results, Schellhammer had the preferred results. Lange was cured. Schellhammer was not.

Paul S. agreed to do a video cast with me but we never aligned the time. My day job got very very busy and has not let up. Thus why I post less on boards. Hopefully I'll see him again soon. I'd like to do that.