Since this is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I was moved to write or say something that will in some way assist in the ongoing war against cancer. Undoubtedly, all of us to some degree, whether directly or indirectly, has been adversely affected by the dreaded disease called cancer. I do not know of anyone who has not lost a relative, friend, or acquaintance to this enfeebling enemy. Two of the most beloved and important people in my life died as a result of having contracted cancer. First, my father died of prostate cancer in 2000. Four years later in 2004, I lost my only living sister to a cancer of the stomach. Just last month (September), I lost a dear friend who had traveled and served as my driver, adjutant, and gentleman’s gentleman for eleven years to lung cancer. Consequently, because cancer took these precious people from me, I am determined to do all I can in the fight against it. Although there is presently no guaranteed medical cure for cancer, science has afforded us many breakthroughs that are effective in delaying and diminishing its deadly effect. From drugs, to chemotherapy, to radiation treatment, to nutrition, to prayers, the battle to wipe out cancer is waging. At this point, I want to focus your attention on some things that anyone can do to prevent and defeat cancer.
Eat Right
The wise saying that “you are what you eat” is, in my estimation, the most strategic and effective way to begin your battle against cancer. I believe that one of the reasons why people who live in our locale, especially African-Americans, are so prone to contract cancer and some other chronic diseases, can be attributed, to a great degree, to bad eating habits. Far too many of the people who live in our locale have predisposed themselves to cancer through their diet. I believe that many of the people who died from cancer could have perhaps averted or altered their fate with a change in their diet. Using myself as an example, I know that due to the fact that I have had both a father and a sister to die from cancer, I am genetically predisposed to contract this disease. However, being predisposed does not automatically place me on a no-win list. The way I see, it gives me an advantage and heads-up on this enemy that proper and nutritional eating will greatly aide me in keeping it nonexistent or benign. Let me encourage all of you, whether you are genetically and generationally prone to contract cancer or not, to discipline yourself to eat right, curtail your appetite, and to avoid the foods that you have been told by your doctor and nutritionist are cancer causing and detrimental to your health. Take the first step to remain cancer free by watching what and how much you eat.
Exercise
If watching how much and what you eat is the first important discipline that we must adhere to if we are to win the fight against cancer, then getting enough exercise must also be somewhere at the top of the list. The experts tell us that exercising for forty-five minutes to an hour for three times a week is sufficient in helping to keep us physically healthy. Furthermore, it is a precautionary and preventative practice that will greatly assist us in the war against chronic diseases of any caliber. I am not just giving you some good advice here, but every discipline that I am considering in this column, I have already put into practice with some degree of effectiveness. I want to encourage all of you to discipline yourself to get the proper amount of exercise each week. Also, I hope that you have a physician that cares enough about you to give you proper recommendations. My physician, Dr. Paul Freel, always ask me during my routine visits, am I still exercising. His professional concern is encouraging and even assuring because there are times when I fall of the wagon due to my hectic schedule and need a pick-me upper. If you have not started a weekly exercise discipline, there is no time like now. Do not delay. It is one of the most effective ways to war against cancer.
Don’t Worry
It is reported by the healthcare professionals and scientific research that one of the primary stimulants that help to aggravate and instigate almost all chronic diseases is anxiety. It is an accomplice who aids and abets our enemy. None of us can ever expect to defend against or to overcome cancer or any other chronic disease if we are worrywarts. Some years ago in my early ministry, I was on my way to becoming a worrywart due to having to deal with many complicated matters that were associated with my position as a pastor. An elderly preacher, that I met during a preaching engagement in Wilmington, Delaware, who had been forced to retire by the leaders of the church where I was visiting, came into the office where I was waiting to be called out. Teary eyed and with a very serious and sad voice, he began to share with me some of the drama that had led up to the few heart attacks that had rendered him unable to function as a pastor. All of the information had to do with people and their issues and problems. Evidently, he had allowed their problems to become his problems and this had caused his heart to weaken. I will never forget these words of warning he shared with me, “Son,” he said, “Don’t let negroes (really it was the “N” word) kill you. Negroes will wear you out and then put you out to pasture.” These words were spoken to me many years ago and have served to this day as a reminder to discipline me not to worry. I have since adopted a saying and philosophy that I hope you will embrace as well about all issues of life: “I am very much concerned, but not the least bit worried.”
Doctor’s Visits and
Early Detection
The final thing that I want to share in helping you in the war against cancer is the importance of making routine visits to your doctor. This is especially true if you are genetically predisposed through having a parent, grandparent, or close relative who have contracted cancer. Routine visits will almost always lead to early detection by competent doctors of polyps and cancer in it benign stage. Again, I am religiously committed to the practice of visiting my doctor and undergoing the routine procedures of prostate checks and colonoscopies. I strongly advise all of you to not take this issue and battle against cancer lightly. Get your routine check-ups and do not wait until it is too late, like so many have regrettably done. Sooner or later you are going to have to visit a doctor if cancer strikes you, either for treatment or to get something to help alleviate the pain. Since this is the case, why not do it now? I will conclude by paraphrasing another one of my favorite sayings, “Do all you can to live as long as you can and die when you can’t help it.”
