Black Horizons; 3030; Prostate

What's that? Welcome to Black Horizons, I'm your host Chris Moore. Tonight's show is a special one, not because we've got a great lineup, but because it's our last episode of the season. This 30th anniversary year has been a great one, and we've covered a lot of ground, but once again, it's time for summer hiatus. So while we take a break, you'll be able to relive some of the past years finest moments during our summer reruns. Our first guest has successfully vanquished a foe that affected close to 42 ,000 men in 1998, that foe is prostate cancer. For reasons, the experts haven't yet identified the highest incidence rates of the disease occurs in African -American men, which are among the highest in the world. The two gentlemen, you're about to meet our prostate cancer survivors, and they're here to tell us about their personal victories and how you can avoid becoming a frightening statistic. Joining us are Charles, Michael, and Tara Brown. Gentlemen, welcome to our program. Thank you. Okay, I know Mr. Michael, you've worked in public health before, so it's really important to the both of

you that we get this information out that this is something that we can survive. We can survive, and this is a major problem, but the only way that we can survive as Afro -Americans is that we follow some very, very, very serious guidelines. And they are? One is, make sure that you get medical checkups. And two, take a look at history in your family, especially history among Afro -Americans. It's 35 to 41 percent higher prostate cancer than it is in Caucasian men. We don't know why research is still continuing to go on. But if you have a family history of cancer, especially prostate cancer, and you are direct male offspring from a descendant that is a prostate cancer survivor, then you are at high risk, and your direct male offspring are also at high risk. Well, and Mr. Brown, I would tell you look like one of my uncles, so I don't know who we related, but did you have that problem? Was cancer a factor in your

family heritage? To a certain extent, my father had cancer of the brain, no other part of his body, and I just had a bladder problem, and I went to a urologist to check it out, and that's how I found out about my prostate cancer. Now, they didn't have to drag you kicking and screaming. I understand that's another problem. African -American men can be so macho that all know your leg can be falling off in your wife, or some loved one has to drag you, no matter what the symptom is, to the doctor, because we think we're okay and real men don't cry at a little, just a little blood. Well, the biggest fear among me in period, and I think especially among us African -American men, are the two big eyes in continent and impotency. And both have been solved tremendously with the highly technological aspects of performing the surgery. There are certain nerve endings now that are not actually damaged, and there are other medicinal

processes on the market now that avoid the both of these. So black men could have had a fear that they might have been impotent, or they'd have to wear those depends diapers or something, and that's just not a manly kind of thing. That's correct. You're going to have to wear the depend diapers. After the surgery, the catheter is in for nearly 30 days, and after that those muscles have to be strengthened, and I don't know my tear, but I wore the depends for about two and a half months, and after those muscles were strengthened, there were no problems. Was that a crisis for your manhood in any way? No, the crisis, no it wasn't, because basically Chris, I looked at two things. I have a devoted loving wife of over 38 years of marriage and two children and two grandchildren

in a very large family, and I was concerned basically about being around for them. Mr. Brown, you were going to say something. Yes, I was saying that the African American man should have their check -up. That's the main thing. You get the check -up. It doesn't hurt, you're sure of yourself, and that way there we can continue to live and enjoy your family. And I always said that with prostate cancer, just like Charles said, the impotent and that, well you've lived your life just about when you're 65 or 65 years old. So you have to take care of your children and grandchildren. And that's when it's really diagnosed when you're in that age range, but we should younger men in their 40s should think about their rights. Yes, sir, my son was turned 42 years old and I had my prostate cancer removed, and we had him checked and he was clean. Tell me about this birthday party you guys had. You're really serious about getting the word out. Yes, well what happened was my birthday was a week before Father's Day. My wife gave me a surprise birthday party, and I had some birthday cards for the Americans. Our cancer society had a checklist in it.

So what I did was we had about 30 men there at the party, so I passed them out to all the gentlemen that were there, and they promised me they were going in to have a check -up. So we call it a prostate party. And then before Father's Day. I guess we had to be creative when we started talking about lowering these incidents of African American men dying from all these diseases including prostate cancer, right? A prostate cancer is high on the list, but there are diseases that affect the African American community during two. Prostate affects the males, but we're not into that today, but HIV and AIDS are affecting the African American females. And probably one of the reasons for a lot of this in terms of prevention, I think, the lack of access to medical services that low income and African American people do not have. And that whole barrier needs to be sort of knocked down other than that that we're still going to see us.

But we start looking at managed care. That's not making it any better for low income people. Managed care is not making it any better, and at this particular stage of the game, I really don't know what the answer is going to be, Chris. More of us are being infected, and more of us are coming down with these very serious life -threatening diseases. Now, I understand when it comes to prostate cancer, there are two tests. There's a new and a PSA test that they give. It's just been developed, and there might be some questions about it, but it's that physical examination that might scare a lot of black men off too. Because I know you're going with no man has ever gone before in some cases, and guys don't like that kind of stuff. Well, Chris, like I told you to stay in before, if you have a bad foot, you don't go to a heart doctor. If you have a bad heart, you don't go to a podiatrist. So therefore, you should go and go to a urologist.

He's experienced, he doesn't hurt you, he knows what he's doing. I'm not saying other doctors don't know what they're doing, but they don't have the expertise that he has. And as far as the PSA is concerned, it's just a blood test that they take, and they run tests on your blood to see whether or not you're susceptible to cancer or not. So you should get one or both of those tests, right? You should get both. You're going to have to get both anyway, because the PSA is going to indicate the reading of it was high that there may be something there. The digital rectal exam is going to determine that there is possibly something. The actual determination is going to be by biopsy after the DRE exam. So all three of those would have to be done to confirm whether or not it's malignant or benign. Have you seen the medical community moving more in this area doing the kind of outreach that you gentlemen are doing in order to reach African -American males? I think doing a great job at the University of Pittsburgh cancer, what do they call it there? That special program out at Pitt, they're doing some things out there. I don't know exactly what they're calling it, but there is, it's for prostate

awareness, it's what it is. But what the African -American has to do is have to find their family history and find out if there's cancer in their families that they should, those that are ones that should definitely have a checkup. Any other suggestions for African -American males? When it comes to prostate cancer and early detection? That's the big thing, the family history, because I come from a family where my father and three of his sons, three of us, come now with prostate cancer, which makes us a high -risk family. I read also about high fat diets, lots of meat and that sort of stuff sometimes. The research is not conclusive, but that may have an impact. They're still guessing, I think. They don't know exactly what it's going through. Now, they're saying that son raise might help men with prostate cancer. Son raise? Yes, but in the other hand, they say to get skin cancer from this. They're going to the vitamin A. Yeah, damn if you do it, damn if you don't. Well, gentlemen, I congratulate the two of you for your early detection and your surviving.

How long has it been for you? I'm going on five years. And you, Mr. Brown? Nine years? Three months. Well, God bless you both, and thanks for being here and raising that flag of awareness for us and our audience. We appreciate it. Thank you very much. All right, thanks for being here. For a free brochure called What To Do If Prostate Cancer Strikes, called the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center at 1 -800 -237 -4724, that number again is 1 -800 -237 -4724. Don't miss the return of the exciting PBS series, Battlefield, when it returns with Battlefield Vietnam. Did you know that the French lost more men in Vietnam than the Americans? Or that the Tet Offensive, which destroyed America's faith in the war, was actually the worst defeat suffered by the communists during the 30 -year conflict. Now comes a definitive military history that tells what really happened in the air and on the ground.

This is the real story of the leaders, the soldiers, the weapons, the strategies and tactics, from the disaster of Yen -Bien -Fu to the fall of Saigon. Battlefield Vietnam. There's a Vietnam veteran, I really look forward to seeing that particular program. Battlefield Vietnam airs Monday nights at 9 throughout July. Don't miss the July 19th premiere here on WQED -13. Once upon a time, East Hills Shopping Center was a community mainstay of our rep. I thought the other promo was right there. We couldn't stop anyway. Well, Joey, we should have listened to you.

No, I thought the two promos were back -to -back. That was my mistake. That's my fault, I'm sorry. You You You

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it seems as though for the years that I've been doing interviews about this, Black folks lead the league in all the bad statistics when it comes to life. I don't care if you're done about AIDS infection or hypertension or cancer rates or whatever it is. We say in this stuff, I was reading what's talking about the high fat diet as far as prostate cancer and other kinds of things. I don't understand why we always lead the league. If an infant death mortality, whatever you want to look at. Well, lack of access to proper health care. Okay, you say that for the show now. You got to charge up dinner for the day. You got to charge up. You see him come out. You see him come out swinging. You got to hit the right spot. All right. This is Jim, my Florida. How are you guys? You

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That we have a powerful voting block in Pennsylvania has more seniors in Florida has and we're more powerful than we really know we are. So we need to get together and know what we're talking about and vote. I

hope so. I think so and I hope so too. Pardon? Home rules charter. I don't know anything about that. I don't know what you're talking about. It's going to be on the referendum. I don't I don't I think I should leave just to what it is not. Because everybody's used to it. Do you think it could be improved if they changed it? I don't really I don't know I don't know what really is going to happen. I think we all leave it just the way it is because we understand it. We we we we we everything everybody does everything. I think people need to know more about voting. Everybody in this world wants more. They never know enough. So it would be a good idea to let special seniors

know all about the school charter. That'll be signed. That'd be all right. That'd be good. Do you like to know more about it? Very nice. That is pretty. Tell me what you're doing here in terms of helping people with their taxes. I'm Helen King and I'm a volunteer under Vitah. We take a course at Internal Revenue Service and get a certificate saying we're allowed to serve seniors and low income people. That's about it. How long have you been doing this? I've been doing it about 15 years from the start but I've been doing it here about four or five years. You know what could you because they won't hear me on this. Could you say that you've been doing it here?

Is this the city senior center? Yes, city center. Can you just say you've been helping people with the taxes at the city center? I've been helping senior citizens with the taxes here at the city parks side -side center. Okay. And you've been doing it for how long? I'd say about five years. When they come to you and this is all about the home rule charter. Helen, are you familiar with the home rule charter? Not much but a little. I haven't got any information on it but I understand there's going to be 15 or more directors. Maybe one chief. That's about it. But I'm more concerned from the tax end and I understand that Harrisburg is going to let you put on an earned income tax. We have one from the state now.

That's why I'm concerned and I'm fully against it. But when you're talking to the people who help out with the tax returns, what's their big concerns about taxes? The big concern is paying on our pension when they, that's income tax, when they don't have much to live on. Of course they get a good credit. But so many are low income. And any extra tax just frightens them especially. They're concerned with paying on the interest to the state but they don't they're forgiven. But they're concerned because they have the trouble of worrying about it and coming into file it even if it's $35 and over. They're forgiven from $6 ,300 down, 100 % to $63.

But they're so worried to get that state tax in and be forgiven and surprising what little income some of them have. In fact, I've had two that only had $50 of interest and had were worried about filing the tax. What about the real estate tax from the people who need help? And if you could, you know what Helen, because they won't hear me on the tape, it's like remember when you were in grade school, you had an answer complete sentence. If somebody asked you what's your favorite color instead of saying red, you'd have to say my favorite color is red. Because they won't hear any of me. So if I ask you the people, the senior citizens that you help fill out the tax forms, are they worried? What do they worry

about when it comes to their real estate taxes? So instead of saying just they just say these seniors whose taxes I do. The seniors coming in are usually asking for the rebate from the state. And they, I think they appreciate it, but they are worried and some of them are low income and have to worry about paying it off. You know, right away on time, that's about all I know, but they do get a certain rebate kind of on their income. The income is only up to $15 ,000. You go a dollar over that, you know, get the rebate. Are they worried that their real estate taxes might go up? I wouldn't say they're worried. I think there's thinking that whatever new is a home rule does, is supposed to cut

real estate taxes. But you know that would never happen. Especially if they cut real estate taxes and put on the earned income credit. If they tax your pension, your annuity, anything else you get, you probably would end up paying whatever the percentage. Because I think 2 .8 % is high enough on the state already. That's the state personal income tax. Do you think senior citizens need to know more about this home rule charter because the referendums coming up on May 19th to vote on it? I don't think we know anything about it. I haven't, all I've heard was on the radio. I understand they're mailing at some mail, but I don't think I got any. They're mailing at something, I think. Do you

think seniors ought to be aware of this and they ought to get out there and vote on May 19th? My personal opinion, they ought to get out there and vote no. Because who wants another tax burden? You'll have to worry about that. Even if you're forgiven on the state, you worry about that tax. They'll come in and they'll worry about another whatever they call a county tax city. And you have a city tax now. Anything else you wanted to say about taxes as they affect senior citizens? As they affect senior citizens. Now I, to me, as long as they're forgiven under the state starting at $6 ,300 and they're not taxed on pensions and annuities, they're just taxed on

other income. And as long as that standard deduction goes up every year and the personal exemption goes up every year, a single person doesn't have to pay under $7 ,800. And a lot of them don't want to know it. They want to file that tax if they earned only $1 ,000. And you have to prove to them that they can make $7 ,800 as long as they're over $65. A married couple can go up to $13 ,800. But they don't know it. You know what? That's all. You

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