43 Days: A Surgeon's Wake Up Call

Black men get prostate cancer more than any other male group—and it is their second leading cause of death.Even so, Dr. Thomas Calhoun was still surprised when he we diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004 after a digital rectal exam that revealed an irregularity not present during his prior annual exam. Calhoun underwent forty-three days of external beam radiation therapy as an outpatient. Throughout this time, he recorded his daily activities, which he describes in this book.As a retired general surgeon from the Washington D.C. area working as a full-time Medical Director in the District of Columbia Department of Health, the author provides a different perspective on what it’s like to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. He presents an overview of the prostate gland as well as methods for diagnosing and treating the disease.He also shares how he leaned on his Roman Catholic faith to sustain himself during this time, even while having to respond to several unusual events in his capacity as Medical Director.The author hopes that any man over age forty-five who reads this book will be evaluated by their physician and urologist to screen for prostate cancer to detect it at an early stage.