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Today news broke about Ben Stiller’s experience overcoming prostate cancer – a timely reminder as Prostate Cancer Awareness month drew to a close over the weekend.
The star of Zoolander and There’s Something About Mary shared his personal story on Medium – urging doctors and men to consider regular and early testing for prostate cancer.
Taking the PSA test saved my life. Literally.
In early 2014, Stiller was diagnosed with cancer. He remembers distinctly the moment that his doctor’s voice ‘literally faded out like every movie or TV show about a guy being told he had cancer.’
What Stiller says made the difference for him was something that not all men have access to.
‘What I had — and I’m healthy today because of it — was a thoughtful internist who felt like I was around the age to start checking my PSA level, and discussed it with me.
‘Taking the PSA test saved my life. Literally.
‘As of this writing I am two years cancer free and extremely grateful.’
The PSA test, a simple blood test for prostate-specific antigens, is able to show if PSA levels are increasing and could indicate the presence of prostate cancer.
Stiller’s message is simple – ask for the test, and get tested early.
’[I]n this imperfect world, I believe the best way to determine a course of action for the most treatable, yet deadly cancer, is to detect it early.’
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