Bump!
I heard this week that Jerry Lewis is under fire for saying that Merv Griffin "deserved to die" because he didn't seek treatment for his PCa. I've been around Jerry quite a few times over the years and he has a knack for sticking his foot in his mouth. Lewis says he is a PCa survivor.
http://www.etonline.com/celebrities/news/49642/
Merv Griffin did have radiation treatment in 1996, according to the article below. But he kept his later recurrence under wraps -- even from immediate family members. So Lewis's statement was rediculous.
http://psa-rising.com/blog/index.php/2007/08/23/update1
I have read though, that two other celebs. who died from PCa avoided conventional therapies
Telly Savalas, according to one article I read, was diagnosed back in the late '80s but didn't seek treatment until 1993 or so.
When Frank Zappa was diagnosed, he insisted on a natural/holistic-type approach and proceeded to bury himself in his work.
So I guess there's something to be said for all of us here, who have acted on this disease in a more conventional and timely manner. I was originally scared to hear about
Savalas and Zappa, because I knew the kind of money they had and figured they'd had the best possible treatments known to man. As it turned out, both waited until it was too late.
54 years old
PSA = First ever was 9.8 in late Oct. ‘06, two weeks later, 10.1
DRE: Negative
Biopsy results 11/22/06 (6 out of 8 cores positive), both lobes, Gleason 3+3 = 6
Da Vinci Robotic RP surgery, City of Hope, Jan 12, 2007
Post surgery pathology – Organ confined, Gleason still 6, margins clear.
First post-surgery PSA -- Undetectable, 2/20/07