Copyright stabroeknews
This is the last of a four-part series written by J David Simmons detailing his personal journey of confronting a prostate cancer diagnosis, highlighting the importance of early detection, breaking silence, and choosing determination over denial. The pieces coincide with Prostate Cancer Month, observed worldwide in September. By J David Simmons In October 2022, the doctor told me my treatment was complete and the cancer was gone. Relief washed over me like a flood — for a moment. Then came the question: What now? Surviving prostate cancer was a gift I did not take for granted. The scars on my body, the changes in my health, the fears about recurrence — they were all part of my new reality. Survivorship is its own chapter, one that demands as much courage as the diagnosis or the journey in treatment. For me, that chapter became what I now call my second act, which is also the name of my coaching initiative, “Second Act: The Other Side of Strong”. It is the stage of life where survival gives way to significance, where the fight with cancer becomes the foundation for living with renewed purpose. Life after cancer came with its own struggles: the slow pace of recovery, the ups and downs of intimacy, and the challenge of finding confidence in a body that felt unfamiliar.
