CHARLOTTE, N.C. — African American men are more likely to be diagnosed with and die from prostate cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. One local man wants to make sure men know how to catch it early.
What You Need To Know
- The risk of dying from low-grade prostate cancer is double for African American men compared to other races, according to the National Cancer Institute
- It’s the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Black men
- Doctors say the best chance of survival is early diagnosis
Adonis Jeralds, also known as "Sporty" Jeralds, didn’t have to look far for a role model growing up. His dad, Luther R. Jeralds, filled that role and more. Luther Jeralds played professional football with the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Texans before serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Even though he was a politician, he didn’t get into that stuff that other politicians would get into,” Adonis Jeralds said. “He was really about, 'How I can help people?'”
His dad also gave him the nickname “Sporty.”
“As the story goes, he played football in college and he had one of his coaches was named ‘Sporty' Walker,” Adonis Jeralds said. “He was a famous coach and coached the Olympic track team. So he named me after that coach that he had.”
Adonis Jeralds admired his dad so much that when he wrote a book he dedicated it in his honor.
“I didn’t realize the greatness of my dad until he passed away,” Adonis Jeralds said.
His dad died in 1992 from prostate cancer. He was 54.
“It was tough because he was a big guy and to see how the disease took the vitality and size from him,” Adonis Jeralds said.
His dad’s illness made him much more aware of his own health. Every year he would have a prostate-specific antigen test, also known as PSA. It is a way to screen for prostate cancer.
“Since, in my case, my father passed away from the disease, I wondered if I would have the same fate,” Adonis Jeralds said.
The American Cancer Society provides the following recommendations for when men should begin talking about prostate cancer screenings with their doctor:
- Age 50 for men who are at average risk of prostate cancer and are expected to live at least 10 more years.
- Age 45 for men at high risk of developing prostate cancer. This includes African Americans and men who have a first-degree relative (father or brother) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65).
- Age 40 for men at even higher risk (those with more than one first-degree relative who had prostate cancer at an early age).