Barrow Stands Up To Cancer

(Savannah, Ga.) 1 in 6 men will develop prostate cancer.
Risk factors may include age, race, family history, and obesity.
Difficulty urinating, blood in the urine, and back pain are some of the symptoms, but you can't always rely on your body's signals.
"Early stage prostate cancer doesn't have any symptoms. That's why we feel that screening is very important to identifying men when they have prostate cancer that's contained to the prostate in very early stages," says Dr. Buffi Boyd.

Cheers and celebration for America's favorite pasttime.  And hope for a man just thrown a powerful curve ball.
"You can do a lot about it. I plan on getting it before it gets me." 
Congressman John Barrow feeling good as he made the ceremonial first pitch at Sunday's Sand Gnats/Augusta baseball game.  Struck by prostate cancer, he faces a new challenge. 
"I was disappointed, but I wasn't terribly shocked."
Barrow's annual physical revealed the disease, the warning sign an elevated PSA In his blood, and tests confirmed cancer.
"In my case we did a biopsy and the biopsy confirmed that I was one of the 1 in 6 guys who discover they have this cancer."
Sharing his story with me at the Lewis Cancer Pavilion, Barrow says the ordeal has confirmed his faith and he's thankful doctors caught the cancer early.
"Routine screening probably saved my life and it can save a lot of other guys, too."
He chose radiation treatment to start later this month, and has no plans to step aside as he battles the disease.
"That will be administered over a couple of weeks.  Nice thing about it it doesn't knock you out. it doesn't stop you from what you're doing.  It doesn't prevent you from working."
Prostate cancer is common, with more than 200,000 men diagnosed each year.  About 1 in 33 die from it.  The disease is slow-growing and can be detected through routine tests.  Over the years, Barrow has fought some brutal political battles.  Now the son of a mother who survived breast cancer is thinking more about others as he faces his treatment.
"One positive thing out of this is to share this experience with others to get other folks to get in line and take their place in the course of routine screening."
While his prostate cancer is not as advanced as some other men with the condition, Barrow wants men to wake up.  
"The thing that a lot of guys gotta get over is being uptight about looking for it.  There are lots of ways in which you can do that that are not harmful not terribly embarrassing. just make it a routine part of your annual physical."   
As he prepares for treatment, Barrow has a new mission in life -- helping men live longer.
"I'm a poster child for the proposition that early detection leads to really good outcomes in a vast number of cases.  So that's the message I want to spread."
 Dr. Donald Bridges of Rockville, Maryland will be treating Congressman Barrow.