KCLU Radio – By Lance Orozco – Published October 4, 2023
1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. The American Cancer Society says 288,000 men will be diagnosed with it this year. Nearly 35,000 will die.
He felt fine. He didn’t have any apparent health issues. But, after a few tests, he got a stunning diagnosis from a doctor. “He said your cancer is so serious, here are your odds for living, or dying,” said Jonathan Chance. Chance is a longtime radio journalist who’s worked in Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and in the Bay Area.
The story starts back in 2018, when Chance went in for a routine checkup. “My family doctor retired, so my wife and I chose a new doctor in Ventura County.,” said Chance. “He did a physical on both my wife and I. The physical included a PSA test, and it came back elevated.” PSA tests are blood tests which measure the amount of prostate specific antigens are in a man’s blood. Elevated PSA levels can be an indication of prostate cancer, or a non-cancerous urological disorder.
He told Chance to come back in 90 days for a retest, and when that came back even higher, the doctor sent him to a specialist. Chance did more tests. When he didn’t hear back from the specialist a few weeks later, he went and got the results, which showed the PSA numbers getting worse. That’s when fate stepped in to help.
“My wife’s cousin in Wheeling, West Virginia just happened to call. When he asked how she was doing she told him it wasn’t good, and explained the situation,” said Chance. The cousin said that Wheeling happened to be home to one of the nation’s leading prostate cancer specialists, Dr. Gregory Merrick. They connected with the doctor’s office, and after getting the journalist’s test results, the doctor told him to come to West Virginia as soon as possible.
After more tests, he was diagnosed with Stage Three prostate cancer that was starting to spread. “At that point, I was in the fight of my life,” said Chance. “It was quite a blow.” “Dr. Merrick sat me down, and said it was aggressive prostate cancer,” said Chance. He was told that in another month or two, without treatment he might have been beyond help.
They started him on a several month-long treatment plan which included the pinpoint use of radiation, the use of tiny implanted radioactive seeds to kill the cancer, specialized shots, and a physical therapy program to build up his immune system. He’s responded well to the treatment. Chance says he knows he’s lucky that they caught it when they did. He says you might be surprised to find out what a big issue it is in our region.
“California was the number one state in the nation for reported prostate cancer cases in 2020,” said Chance. “And, out of the 50 plus counties in California, between 2016 and 2020, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, according to the CDC, ranked number one and two for late stage prostate cancer cases.”
If you recognize his voice, it’s because he did radio news in the region for years, on radio stations like KNX, out of Los Angeles and KNJO, in the Conejo Valley. Now, he’s using his background in journalism to do podcasts, and has written a book about his battle with prostate cancer, to try to educate others about the danger. He said he doesn’t want to see any other man live through what he’s had to experience.
Copyright 2023 – KCLU Radio. Used by permission, The Friedman Sidrow Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.
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