“You’re in for the fight of your life. You better be ready to wage war against a ruthless enemy.”
A lymphoma survivor, Mo Bro Jamie Lindsay is now on the cancer battlefield again fighting for his life against prostate cancer.
Jamie became a Mo Bro in 2008 while volunteering for the LIVESTRONG Foundation and Imerman Angels after being diagnosed with stage IV lymphoma. The LIVESTRONG Foundation gave Jamie the tools and skills to become an empowered patient, advocating for his own health and medical decisions.
Following months of feeling sluggish, Jamie was diagnosed with lymphoma of the hips and pelvis and given only a few weeks to live. He pushed for inclusion in an experimental clinical trial. He incorporated exercise into his intensive chemotherapy treatment. He beat the lymphoma, being the only one of the few clinical trial patients to survive.
Now actively monitoring his own health, Jamie went in for a semi-annual check up. The doctor performed a DRE exam and discovered two lumps on his prostate. Even though his PSA was within normal limits, he tested with a Gleason score of 6, indicating moderately aggressive cancer in both lobes of his prostate.
Jamie, as an advocate for himself once again returned to LIVESTRONG to seek out the best treatment possible for his prostate cancer. He was recommended to a surgeon at Johns Hopkins, and was clear he wanted the cancer removed, but needed to maintain his quality of life. He didn’t want his nerves damaged in the process of surgery leaving him with incontinence or sexual dysfunction.
The prior radiation treatment Jamie had received for lymphoma left him with so much scar tissue that the Johns Hopkins surgeon could not remove the prostate without completely damaging his nerves. Honoring his medical wishes, the surgeon sewed him up and, together, they chose another course of action.
Always willing to try bold treatments, Jamie headed to a cryogenics doctor to have half of his prostate frozen, which would kill the cancer in one lobe of his prostate while maintaining function. Jamie’s cryogenics doctor was pleased to be dealing with a patient who was informed to such a level where they could have a discussion, patient to doctor, determining the best course of treatment.
Today, half of Jamie’s prostate is cryogenically frozen and he is performing active surveillance on the other half. The hope is that his prostate cancer will be slow growing, giving him time to see a breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment, like laser surgery or new pharmaceutical drugs, to kill the rest of his prostate cancer.
Jamie, once a Mo Bro growing his moustache for others battling cancer, now needs the Movember community to help save his life. If you haven’t had a conversation about men’s health this month, ask the men around you when was the last time they visited a doctor. As Jamie says, “You have to advocate for yourself. If there is something that ails you, you have to look into it. Not everything is just about getting old, there’s a lot that could be a real problem.”
This Movember, let’s work together to raise funds for vital men’s health programs and make medical breakthroughs a reality. The funds we raise now will make a tangible difference in the research community that is on the verge of exciting new treatments. These breakthroughs will not only help Jamie, but all of the fathers, brother and husbands that will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Don’t let anybody miss their chance at life.
Click here to learn more about the men’s health programs the Movember Foundation is funding.
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