Vim & Vigor - Winter 2009 - North Mississippi - (Page 36)

his white ﬁancée’s father in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Only Gary Cooper has starred in as many movies (ﬁve) among the American Film Institute’s “100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time.” Poitier set a standard that black actors have emulated ever since. On the night he was handed an Oscar for his life’s work in 2002, Halle Berry and Denzel Washington lavished praise on him when they won their own Best Actor and Best Actress awards—the ﬁrst black stars to win the award since Poitier in 1964, who was the very ﬁrst back then. “Forty years I’ve been chasing Sidney,” Washington told the audience. “I’ll always be chasing you, Sidney.” But it was prostate cancer that had chased him several years before that special night. His oldest brother, Cyril, died of the disease before Sidney’s diagnosis and two longtime friends, Harry Belafonte and Quincy Jones, have survived the disease. Only lung cancer kills more men among all cancers, but Poitier won this chase because he got ahead of it. early poitier highlights a cancer you can beat “What most men don’t realize is that when prostate cancer is caught early, before it spreads beyond the prostate gland, the ﬁve-year survival rate is above 99 percent,” says Durado Brooks, M.D., director of prostate and colorectal cancer for the American Cancer Society. “Some men still believe that a prostate cancer diagnosis is a death sentence, which prevents them from getting needed tests.” It was during such a test, a routine blood check, that Poitier’s doctor noticed a jump in his prostatespeciﬁc antigen (PSA) level from four to six. An elevated PSA is one indicator of prostate cancer, although more often it’s only a sign of inﬂammation, an infection or nothing at all. A urologist took four biopsies, and the fourth one revealed cancer cells. His doctor’s diligence proved to be a lifesaver. If cancer is detected, the most common treatment options are “watchful waiting,” radiation therapy, and partial or full surgical removal of the prostate— the option that Poitier chose. (Hormone therapy or chemotherapy are considered if the cancer has spread beyond the prostate.) Poitier was taking no chances because of what happened to his brother. Cyril, also a ﬁlm actor, lost his battle with the disease at age 81 because it was too far advanced to stop it when diagnosed. Most scientists believe that the growing number of men getting regular prostate screenings—a digital rectal exam (DRE) and PSA blood test—has dramatically reduced fatalities. Right, from his starring role in Lilies of the Field. Above, Poitier as Virgil Tibbs, alongside costar Rod Steiger in In the Heat of the Night Breaking down racial barriers in the controversial film To Sir, with Love. vim & vigor · winte r 2 009 PHOTOGRAPHS BY (TOP TO BOTTOM) SUNSHINE/RETNA LTD., J.T./RETNA LTD., CAMERA PRESS/RETNA LTD.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2009 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2009 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Our Newest Addition
Diabetes Check
Model Behavior
Is it a Sign?
Your Heart: The Owner's Manual
Independence Days
Sidney Poitier
The Right Stuff
Watch and Learn
Up to Speed
Pedi-cures
Shining Stars
Back in Action
Digest This
Healthy Bites
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2009 - North Mississippi