Don Spears, a New Orleans native and a 22-year-cancer survivor, helped four African-American male friends of New Orleans tell their story in a memoir, You Have Cancer: A Death Sentence That Four African-American Men Turned Into an Affirmation to Remain in the "Land of the Living." At a time that could have been viewed as the darkest moment in these men's lives, they took a stand against this dreaded disease and penned their story in order to shine a spotlight on the devastation that cancer is causing in the African-American community.
It is too often that when a patient hears the words, "You have cancer," the patient gears his or her mind toward the "DEATH SENTENCE" without thought of an appeal—but not in the case for these four men.
You Have Cancer reveals how four best friends grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same school, went to the same church, and suffered from the same dreaded disease at the same time—cancer. Black men seldom speak about sickness. These four friends (Ronal Bazile, Ellis Brossett, Preston Edwards & Benjamin Priestley) re-forged their friendship and leaned on each other's shoulders for strength. They affirmed to each other to fight this disease together and to not become scared to death.
Timing is everything when it comes to a life-saving message. And the time for this topic is now! The America Cancer Society estimates there would be 152,900 new cancer cases among African-Americans in 2007 and 62,780 cancer deaths. These men believe that 62,780 preventable deaths are unacceptable. We are talking about somebody's father, brother, husband, child who didn't have to die.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death. It is time to take the Big "C" out of the closet and expose all of its mysteries. The following are a few facts about African-American men and cancer:
1.) African-American men have the highest cancer incidence and death rate.
2.) While the American Cancer Society recently reported that death rates from cancer have been declining, the cancer death rate is still 38 percent higher for African-American men compared to white men.
3.) African-Americans have the shortest survival rate of any race or ethnic group.
With the double whammy of awareness and action, we can beat cancer now! The authors state, "We share our deeply personal experiences with the hope of saving lives by encouraging other African-American men to be proactive via visiting their doctors for regular checkups and cancer screenings.
This is not a pity-party book, but instead, it's a book of stories that will uplift and inspire cancer patients to "dance," rather than to sit it out. It provides coping and survival skills for their caretakers and their loved ones. This book provides the latest information and resources to combat cancer. Believe me, this is not a book you want to miss.
