Prostate Cancer Screening in Louisville, Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After surviving prostate cancer, a Kentucky man is on a mission to encourage more men aged 50 and older to get screenings.

For John Tucker, it started with symptoms of pain and unusual bathroom habits.

“So I was initially hospitalized for an enlarged prostate, not for cancer,” Tucker said.

But Tucker will never forget May 6, 2022 – Oak Day. That day, doctors told him he had prostate cancer.

“It was painful because I caught it in the later stages, I caught it in the fourth stage,” Tucker said.

He said the survival rate in stage four is 31%.

“So I am here today very, very grateful. If you can catch the virus in the early stages, your chances of survival are 100% if you catch it in the first three stages,” Tucker said.

Having accomplished healing, he now shares his journey with other men.

“In 2007, my dad had it. And you know, we never talked about it. He lives in Los Angeles, and it was just a situation where you hear a lot about prostate cancer, and even in my case, people are like, “Oh, that’s easy.” Many people have it. But you know, it’s not that simple. It is the second most lethal cancer in African Americans. So it’s very, very important to talk about it not only when it happens, but even before it happens,” Tucker said.

Verna Allen-Harris is a member of African Americans of Kentucky Against Cancer.

“They say I’m a breast cancer survivor and it’s important to get mammograms at the right age and get them every year because you never know what it might detect year after year,” Allen-Harris said.
KAAAC is a group of volunteers, healthcare professionals and cancer survivors working to reduce cancer health disparities in the African American population.

“Because we’re more likely to get it, you know.” Because it’s like running in families and stuff like that. So is it just as important to undergo check-ups? – said Allen-Harris.

June is also National Cancer Survivor Month. The National Cancer Institute says there are 18 million cancer survivors in the United States.

“It’s not talked about enough. So I often think that if we really talked about it, you know, men would come here and understand how important it is because, like I said, if you show up earlier, the survival rate is much higher,” Tucker said.