Nobel Winner, Wole Soyinka Opens Up On Battle With Prostate Cancer
Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has opened up on his journey with prostrate cancer. Speaking to BBC, the renowned dramatist disclosed that when he went for a routine medical check-up in 2014, the doctor asked him to take more tests.
It was then that Soyinka was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. That was five years ago. Since then, after undergoing successful treatment, the 85-year-old is in good health.
According to the dad-of-two, the treatment was an ‘easy ride although uncomfortable. In his words:
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“It hadn’t yet gotten to the stage where it was non-reversible and so (the doctor) gave us a number of guidelines. I say us because he wanted to make sure that my wife made sure that I followed it. He sensed that I wasn’t going to be a very good patient. So he spoke to her most of the time rather than me.
There is no disease in the world any human being needs to be ashamed. I don’t see why people need to go to Canada, Europe to receive treatment which is affordable in this nation, it is a shame.
The options I compared to other treatment I know about and I have seen in operation. Mine for me was an easy ride, uncomfortable in many ways but it is painless.”
READ ALSO: Researchers Reel Out The Surest Ways Men Can Avoid Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men (after skin cancer). It is the development of cancer in the prostate – a small walnut-shaped gland in the male reproductive system that produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm.
Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, some grow relatively quickly. The cancer cells may spread from the prostate to other areas of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes. Diet, exercise and regular medical checkups are among the most effective ways of avoiding prostate cancer.