In March, Miami Heat legend Alonzo Mourning had surgery to remove his prostate after being diagnosed with Stage 3 prostate cancer.
Fortunately for Mourning, the doctors caught it early enough and were able to remove it. Now, after his successful surgery in March, Mourning is cancer-free and urging others, especially men, to get screened.
“What scares me about this disease is that there are so many men walking around feeling great and have that cancer in them and they don’t know it,” said Mourning in an interview with ESPN. “The only way to find out is to get their blood tested and get their PSA checked. There are 3.3 million men living in the U.S. with prostate cancer, and many don’t even know it. I was one of those guys.”
It all started in late 2022 when Mourning’s urologist informed him that his PSA scores were “creeping up,” which can be a sign of prostate cancer. That resulted in an MRI, which revealed dark spots, causing the need for a biopsy.
The biopsy came back positive, meaning that Mourning had a high grade of prostate cancer.
“I was in shock. I can’t tell you enough about how well my body felt. I was in top-notch shape — running sprints, strong. The doctor told me that he couldn’t believe I had had a kidney transplant” said Mourning.
It was something he was always worried about as he had a family history of prostate cancer, including his father and grandfather. That meant he was vulnerable and couldn’t afford not to take immediate action.
Mourning quietly had surgery to remove his prostate in March and the Miami Heat’s director of player programs and development has been recovering since that time.
Now he’s advocating for everyone to get screened.
“Life was good and amazing for me, but if I had ignored getting checked and let this go, the cancer would’ve spread through my body,” he told ESPN. “Unfortunately, as men, we don’t like to go to the doctor, but this is the only way to find out what’s going on in your body. Prostate and even colon cancer are silent killers and many men won’t get those diagnosis until it’s too late.
“We live in a world where it’s taboo among men to talk about health issues. If I didn’t get routine checkups, I probably wouldn’t be here to talk about this. I want men to be proactive with their health.”
Being proactive saved his life and we’re all grateful.
