A cancer diagnosis is always an unfortunate event. But when someone in the public eye – such as federal NDP leader Jack Layton, who in February announced he is battling prostate cancer – speaks out about that diagnosis, there’s a boost to public awareness.
“Even though it’s a negative thing for the individual, it’s a positive thing to bring it to light,” says Harold Usher, a 70-year-old London, Ont. city councillor and author of Prostate, Prostate, Prostate, A Problem of Men, which chronicles his own cancer journey. “I think he (Layton) must have caught it early, likely because he was getting a checkup. And the whole idea is that men realize they need to get regular medical...
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