The PC Tribe - One Year Later

Starting the Group

One year ago I made the final decision to start a Facebook group just for men dealing with prostate cancer. This group is different from what the Mohawk Mission's main purpose of prostate cancer awareness is. It was our first venture in providing support to men. I always thought there are plenty of support groups available, I need to help men before they get diagnosed. Then I saw the importance of men supporting men in Man Up to Cancer's The Howling Place. I felt that the prostate cancer community needed its own group doing the same thing. The easy part was forming the group but then I needed to let men know it was there. Fortunately as a member of the Howling Place which had several PC men in it, I was allowed to post about the new group and members started coming in. I posted where ever I thought I could and more members came. I didn't want men to leave the other groups since they all provide help in different ways, but just add to where they could find support.

The Nurturing

Well now I had a group but how do I get the communications flowing between the men. Many of these men had never been in a men's only group and I didn't know if they would open up. I was used to telling my story and sharing my journey, so I started being as open as I could. Others soon followed suit and slowly the conversations started happening. Once in a while I needed to share even more. As time went on more guys felt safe and comfortable talking about their journey. And now the conversations flow daily.

The Losses

We have a lost a few men this past year. The ones I know are Robert "Beau" Jackson and Joseph Murphy. Joe was on the zooms in Man Up from early on and we got to know each other. He joined our group right after is was formed. Beau started his own group called the Prostate Cancer Prayer and Support Group. He was a man of tremendous faith. We became very close friends and he asked me to escort him him, which I did proudly. We still miss these guys but we always hope we can be there in men's time of greatest need if nothing more than to just listen and talk. We love you guys and miss you.

The Reward

I knew it was working when men would comment that they finally found a place with men going through the same thing they are. Every comment that thanked me for starting this confirms this was needed and fills my heart with the love felt across the group. I often say this group is not about me or the other admins, it is about the men in the group. They make the group work, they make the group great and they make everyone feel welcome and supported. Without all of you the group would not exist. It has been a real blessing for me to see all of this come about in one year. November 23rd s the PC Tribe's one year anniversary and we are 500+ strong across ten different countries! I've talked with men from the other side of the world. I'm not sure I could even imagine that at the start. Many of you help the mission's PC awareness by sharing postcards, magnets and arm bands along with wearing the mission apparel. Together we can make a difference. I love all of you guys!

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Living Life One Extension at a Time - Extension One Part 1

One advanced prostate cancer survivor's story of living through incurable prostate cancer with one life extending treatment at a time.

Extension One Part 1

As I mentioned in my last blog I started ten days of radiation to my lower spine one week after being told in the ER I had prostate cancer. I was also started on Casodex which was my start of hormone therapy. The radiation oncologist put me on a high dose steroid to prevent any swelling around the area of the spinal cord during radiation. Because of that I was waking up and starting work at 4:00am. I had all kinds of energy. Radiation was five days of week first thing in the morning so I could get back to work. During my last week of radiation they started me on Firmagon shots and switched me from Casodex to Zytiga. This would be my hormone therapy for nearly two years. Prostate cancer feeds on testosterone, the hormone therapy's purpose is to take your testosterone away and also try to block the testosterone from getting to the cancer.

Why Me?

During those first few weeks there was a lot of questioning "Why me?". Even with having faith this question just happens. At that time I was doing contract work at a factory that I had previously worked at. I had a lot of friends still there. I got talking to one of these friends and saw he had something on his mind. It turns out he had a niece in Mexico that had a son that was in the hospital and she was pregnant. She had problems and ended up going to a different hospital where she lost the baby. If this wasn't bad enough when she went home she had to take her dead baby with her. In that area of Mexico there aren't any funeral homes and you're responsible for your own dead. My friend was trying to get money to her so she could have her baby buried. When I heard that I started crying, actually we cried together. At that moment I told myself I had nothing to complain about. What she was going through was far worse than what I was going through. That is when I accepted my cancer and knew I needed God to get me through this.

Side Effects and Results

One thing they don't spend much time on if any is discussing side effects of treatments. Taking your testosterone away just doesn't sound good and it wasn't. It causes fatigue, loss of muscle mass, ED, moodiness and even hot flashes! What did Beth say when I complained about the hot flashes, now you know what it's like. I often tell men when your wife gets hot flashes do not give her a hard time, they absolutely suck. Even though the side effects are tough the results from the treatment was great. My PSA started at 294 and in three months I was at 0.7 and it continued to drop.

Take a Break from Cancer

While doing some work at the same factory I was working at when diagnosed, I met a man that told me about a sensational organization that helps men with cancer. This organization is called Reel Recovery. They take men with any cancer at any stage and take them on a flyfishing retreat. You pay to get there and back and that's it. I decided to attend one in August. Montana was my choice for two reasons, the location was on the Yellowstone River just north of the park and my old friend and best man lives in Montana just a few hours from the retreat. Mike and I haven't seen each other in decades. I flew into Helena where he lives and we spent three days together and got caught up. He and his family showed me a great time. Then I drove down to the retreat where I met thirteen other men and the incredible staff that took care of us. The facility was a hunting lodge with seven cabins for us. They supplied everything, all the fishing equipment, meals and instruction on fly fishing if you had never done it before. We spent two and half days together not only fishing but also had several "courageous conversations" with a therapist where we learned to open up about our battles. It was an outstanding time.

#prostatecancer

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#mohawkmission

Living Life One Extension at a Time - Diagnosis

One advanced prostate cancer survivor's story of living through incurable prostate cancer with one life extending treatment at a time.

The Diagnosis

I'm Tracy Morgan, I was diagnosed at age 58 with metastatic stage four prostate cancer which spread to my bones from my neck, spines, ribs, hips and right femur. My only problem before diagnosis was six weeks of extreme lower back pain. I had to go through physical therapy first and then finally was scheduled for a MRI. That was on a Friday morning, May 3rd, 2019. I thought I finally will see what's wrong with my back. I had the scan first thing in the morning but then had something unusual happen. The radiologist called in the late afternoon and told me to go to the emergency room as soon as possible because I had an abnormality on my scan. My wife, Beth and I went to the ER right away. The nurse asked me some questions to see if I had any signs of infection and left. It seemed like forever before ER doctor came in to see us. He had been talking with the radiologist and another radiologist from the neurological institute. When he came in we could tell things weren't good. He told us I had prostate cancer that had spread to my bones. We were given some information but to be honest we were both in shock by this. This was the longest weekend of my life. I shut down and convinced myself I had five to six months left. I started getting my affairs in order.

Appointments, Appointments and more Appointments

Monday we met with a doctor and he arranged for me to get into a urological clinic that he said he would send his father to. Words we needed to hear. Tuesday was my appointment and we met my urologist. He gave me a DRE and checked my MRI, I had never had a PSA test. By those checks he confirmed I had prostate cancer. He also told me I could not be cured but I could be treated. The clinic had a prostate cancer center within it and the radiation oncologist checked my MRI. He said he wanted to start radiation on my lower back as soon as possible. The tumor was starting to impact the sac around my spinal cord. Thursday I was scheduled for a biopsy so they could determine my Gleason score which turned out to be 8 (4+4). My biopsy PSA was 294. Friday I started ten days of radiation to my lower back. Now the first extension of my life begins.

What to Expect in Future Posts

My blog will take you through all of the extensions to my life that I have received and still am receiving. There a lot of different emotions along this journey. There will be tears, smiles, laughs and more. Please join me on my journey.

#prostatecancer

#prostatecancersupport

#prostatecancerblog

#mohawkmission