CHARLOTTE — Prostate cancer rates are on the rise.
More than 300,000 cases are diagnosed every year, affecting 1 in 8 men. Among African American men, it’s 1 in 6.
The disease hit home for one NFL veteran.
Leonard Wheeler played professional football with the Bengals, the Vikings and then with our own Carolina Panthers.
Since his battle with the illness, he’s focused on getting men on a team to prioritize their health, and sharing the medical breakthrough that he believes helped save his life.
These days, Leonard enjoys challenging his wife, Kim, to a game of cornhole. He’s retired from playing in the NFL, and has always loved competition.
But recently, the couple fought a battle for his life after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
At 55 years old, he had no symptoms, but his doctor noticed the numbers increasing on his annual PSA —or prostate-specific antigen— blood test.
Kim is a nurse.
“We’re doing everything we can to save his life,” she said.
Everything meant doing their research, and they decided on a new procedure called TULSA-PRO.
Dr. Michael Smigelski tells Channel 9 Atrium Health in Charlotte is now the first center in North Carolina to offer it.
It’s an option, where he says physicians use real-time robotics, no incisions or radiation, and it’s done outpatient so men can go home the same day.
“The really exciting part is that it’s minimizing the side effects of treatment for some men. Things that patients often worry about are things like erectile dysfunction, or urinary symptoms or bowel symptoms,” said Dr. Smigelski.
Leonard says his latest MRI shows he is cancer free.
His mission now is to get more men to have candid conversations, and to get checked.
He said he wants to tell men, “That it’s okay to be scared. That it’s okay to be vulnerable. That I need you to put people that you love and the people who love you above your fear.”
Men should get screened between ages 50 and 70 and at age 40 if you have a family history.
Men with a father or brother who faced prostate cancer have double the risk.
Leonard has multiple resources on social media to talk to men about prostate cancer testing and treatment.
Instagram:
@LeonardWheeler7