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Lloyd Martin Talks Man to Man

In Jamaica, men don’t talk about prostate cancer.  They don’t go to doctors, relying instead on herbs, teas and other alternative healing practices. 

In America, men don’t talk about prostate cancer, particular African-American men.  They don’t go to doctors.

In Philadelphia, Lloyd Martin is talking about prostate cancer – talking persistently to men in Philadelphia and across the globe.  His message is simple:  Don’t ignore this issue.  It’s taking down too many of us, and its next victim could be you.  Pay attention.  Take care of yourself.  See a doctor.  Get screened. 

“I need to scare people into action,” Lloyd says.  “When the torpedo hits, it’s too late.”

Lloyd was hit by the torpedo in 2007, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 47.  He had no family history of cancer.  His dogged determination and gut feeling led him to endure five biopsies before arriving at the diagnosis. 

An African-American man originally from Jamaica, Lloyd was unusual in that he did see a doctor.  He took good care of himself and went for annual check-ups.  When his PSA level came back high, he realized he had been ignoring other symptoms of prostate disease.  Initial biopsies were negative, but his PSA remained high and symptoms persisted.  Eventually the diagnosis was confirmed.  He elected to undergo a radical prostatectomy using minimally invasive robotic surgery.  The nerve-sparing surgery was performed at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia by Dr. Jamison Jaffe of Urologic Consultants of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

“I have a beautiful wife and two young sons,” Lloyd says in explaining his decision to have surgery.  “I educated myself, and Dr. Jaffe helped me understand what was at stake and what the options were.  At my age, I wanted to get rid of the cancer and not worry about it again.  There was no time to pussyfoot around with herbal remedies.  This could kill me.”

Lloyd is so adamant about getting this message across to men and women he’s written a no-holds-barred book titled Prostate Cancer and Me…or You (Man to Man).  In it he describes in excruciating detail his journey from initial consultation and testing through surgery and recovery.  It’s a straightforward account not only of what happens, but why it’s important.

“We can’t ignore the statistics,” he says.  “Prostate cancer affects one in six American men.  More than 192,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009, and more than 27,000 men will die from the disease.  A man dies from prostate cancer every 19 minutes.

“I came face to face with my own mortality.  I thought about my wife and my sons, and the hardship my death would bring them.  I didn’t want to fold up and die in her arms.  It brought out the fight in me.  Dealing with it head on was not part of my culture, but I stepped out of that box and it saved my life.”

Lloyd is using his newfound knowledge and experience to not only educate his fellow man, but to improve the odds for his sons and himself.  They read labels and look for naturally produced food free of hormones, steroids, pesticides and other products.  They exercise regularly.  And they take time to share boundless love and support for each other.

“My wife was by my side every step of this journey, holding my hand and encouraging me.  And this has drawn me so close to my sons.  Those feelings I can’t capture with words.”

To learn more about Lloyd Martin and his book, visit www.lloydmartinpublications.com.   To learn about Dr. Jaffe and Urologic Consultants of Southeastern Pennsylvania, visit www.urologicconsultsepa.com.