COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Army veteran Miceal Frisina has always taken his health seriously.

“Once I retired, I kept up with the annual check-ups and a pint, I think it was 15 years after retirement, my intern makes fun of me for coming in every year and being completely healthy and what would we do, and I say so that I can stay completely healthy,” he said.

But during that checkup, things took a turn as Michael’s prostate-specific antigen levels rose.

“There was no concern that we should be looking for something like that.”

Doctors monitored Michael for months.

“I waited another year and it started growing again. And it continued to grow. And then I went into active diagnostics which led to the biopsy, which confirmed I had prostate cancer.”

However, lucky for him, he had already studied the options and the results.

“66, with the side effects you get from the surgery and the side effects you get from everything else, it was an easy decision for us to just do the surgery, get rid of it and get it out.”

Michael thought he was in good hands.

“It is possible for a man to have no symptoms at all and be totally detected by blood test and/or physical exam.”

Dr. Brian Willard is a urologic oncologist at Lexington Medical Center.

“If you can catch prostate cancer early, then there’s usually a 97-98 percent five-year survival rate for the disease if it’s caught early and treated.”

Willard said Miecheal’s consistency with projections was key.

“We took him to the operating room and did a robotic radical prostatectomy, which is one of the standard options for patients, and he did really well,” Willard said.

And his positive attitude helped him get through.

“You just have the mental attitude of, OK, this is step one, this is step 2, and you just take it in baby steps,” he said. “Dr Willard likes to talk about it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon, and it really is a marathon. You just have to take each phase of it as it comes and mentally prepare yourself to do it.

“He’s motivated to do this and he was motivated to do this.”

Michael has been cancer free for two years.

“You’re grateful to be healthy, you’re grateful to be alive, you have a long-term health prognosis,” Michael said.

He’s back to doing what he loves, spending time with his family and mentoring other prostate cancer patients on their journeys.

“When men are diagnosed and they seem to be struggling with it, it gives them the option to talk to me and let me help overcome their fears, telling them that you can get better, life goes on.”

He emphasizes the importance of early detection.

“I’m proof that this doesn’t have to be a major life-changing event,” he said. “Get a family doctor, get an annual physical, and not just for prostate cancer, but for your heart and other types of things.”

“A simple blood test can save your life. Early diagnosis and detection are extremely important for survival.”

“Events plus response equals output – and if you let the size of the event get bigger than your ability to respond, then you’re going to minimize the output. So let’s focus on your answer, let’s go after this thing. So not why is this happening to me, but what do we do about it now?”

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