Don’t Delay Care: Why Men Should Pay Attention to Their Health

Many times, men are hesitant to go to the doctor. In honor of Men’s Health Month in June, we can encourage all of the men in our lives to establish healthy habits. The first steps are making sure they see a doctor when they feel unwell and go in for a yearly checkup.

Meet Jack. He is 56 years old and a kidney cancer survivor. Jack got sick in November of 2018 during deer season and went to the emergency room after his doctor told him to go. After receiving a CT scan, Jack learned he had kidney cancer. Within 24 hours from when the tumor in his kidney was found, Jack met with Joel Leon Becceril, MD, a Phelps Health urologist. “Dr. Leon told me that it was a good thing [the cancer] was caught in that stage, because any further [and] I probably wouldn’t be here,” Jack says.

Dr. Leon helped Jack through surgery, recovery and during follow-up visits. “What [stands] out to me most of all with Dr. Leon is that he took time to listen to everything I had to say, and he took time to explain to me how important it was that I follow certain guidelines in order to have a healthy kidney,” Jack says.  

Now, Jack doesn’t question whether or not to go to the doctor, and he encourages other men to do the same. “If I don’t feel good, I go to the doctor. I think that’s very important. Had I waited just a couple of [more] months, then I wouldn’t be here today.”