prostate cancer

When Ken Reeves was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019, it came with all the stress and concern that a cancer diagnosis carries. But, beyond the struggles of dealing with the diagnosis, he also faced frustrations with the care he was receiving — his concern piqued when, during a visit to the doctor, his radiation oncologist started referring to him as “Mr. Green” and looking at another patient’s folder, even after six appointments.

Black men are dying from prostate cancer at about 2.1 times the rate of other men for reasons that remain unclear, which is why Mark Kennedy took it upon himself to spend a decade screening about 5,000 men who would otherwise have not been given the chance.

The Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN), a leading prostate cancer patient education and advocacy organization based in Boston, is bringing its Prostate Cancer Disparity Rally home to Boston during the month of November to address the African American prostate cancer crisis.

The prostate gland is not known for its size. It’s not much bigger than a walnut. That does not diminish its role, however. Nor its complications.