TAMPA, Fla. — Barney Morris said at 41, he was thriving.
"I was a federal agent at the time, moving up the ladder rapidly. I was a major in the [U.S.] Air Force," he said.
Then came his annual check-up, which revealed he had prostate cancer.
"I thought I was in perfect health. I had absolutely no symptoms," he said. "Had I not had a PSA test during the regular routine physical examination, I wouldn't be here."
According to the American Cancer Society, it's a diagnosis that one in eight men will receive at some point in their lifetime, and more often, those men are Black.
They're numbers that now have the two-time cancer survivor preaching the importance of preventative screenings to men living in disadvantaged communities and Black communities — who often get screened less.
"But at least get the basic once a year and get that screening. Because if caught early, it's almost 98% curable," he said.
Catching it sooner rather than later is also a message Tara Calise, APRN, shares with her patients at WellMed at Plant City.
"The five-year survival rate is very good. It's over 96%, so the key thing here is early prevention," Calise said.
Calise told ABC Action News that her patients often come in thinking that the cancer symptoms they're experiencing are related to something else.
"Their urination is more frequent, it's harder to start a stream of urine. They may have some pain in their pelvic area and lower back. They could have some sexual side effects as well," she said.
Another major hurdle is getting men comfortable with some of the screenings themselves. Calise said to help overcome that, you should work to get more comfortable with your doctor.
"Once they get to know somebody, and they feel very comfortable, and I set their mind at ease or maybe they've had a friend that's said, 'It's not so bad.' Then they're very willing to undergo it," she said.
For Morris, he said he helps to fight that discomfort with a little tough love.
"Would you rather deal with a few seconds of discomfort? Or would you rather die?" he said.
A lot of the work that Morris is doing to educate the community is through a nonprofit 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay Inc. The group's overall mission is to improve the quality of life and educational opportunities for the area's Black community.
In honor of Prostate Cancer Awareness month, the group is sharing information on local screening options and encouraging members to sign up for a prostate cancer study — being put on by the Moffitt Cancer Center. It focuses on studying a possible link between genetics and prostate cancer.
Looking to get screened?
While most experts recommend you start screenings at age 55, they said if you're Black or have a family history of the disease, you should start screenings at 40. To learn more about prostate cancer screenings, click here.
