Survivor
Watch Video – Mr. Battle discusses his prostate cancer journey and stresses the importance of early detection screening
It started when Rausan Battle noticed he was losing energy and did not feel well, for no obvious reason. “Physically, I couldn’t recover quickly from simply walking up some stairs,” he said. “I knew something was wrong.” He was diagnosed with prostate cancer October 2018 when he was only 45-yeras old. When he started chemotherapy treatments, his PSA was over 1400. A body scan and CAT scan revealed the disease had metastasized “all over my body—rib cage, jaw, all over.” Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) put the disease at bay. After the shots, his PSA dropped drastically and “the lesions on bones vanished.” Best of all, ”I feel good and am back to work full time.”
Covid-19 pandemic changed his work schedule. After a 14-day quarantine as a precaution, Battle now works in a rotation with other facility management teams—two weeks in the office and two weeks working remotely. Of the 134 people employed at his site, only 15 people are allowed in the facility at a time. “It was weird when I first started,” (working remotely). “Everybody on Zoom, on the phone and computer all day.” He goes for a walk every morning, and uses a home gym for workouts.
Thanks to PHEN, Battle is finding a supportive community and resources to “explain terminology and best practices to me.” “He was also invited to a meeting with PHEN sponsor, the biopharma company Amgen,—and found that experience refreshing. “It was my first time being around others going through the same thing,” He’s finding the information, “very helpful.”