By Leroy Graham

Joseph Comrie had always considered himself a brave man. But when it came time to get tested for prostate cancer, the fear of mortality became an almost overwhelming weight on the mind of the Ottawa-based accountant.

“I’d been to see my family doctor and I mentioned some issues I’d been having,” says Comrie. “He suggested getting a PSA test. At first, I didn’t think anything of it. But, when I went to the urologist to do the tests, a lot of thoughts ran through my mind.”

For Comrie, the unfortunate news was that he did have prostate cancer. The health issues he’d been experiencing during the previous months were a manifestation of the disease within his body.

He discussed the medical options with his doctor, but for Comrie it wasn’t the upcoming medical process that seemed the most daunting. “This sounds strange, but at the time, I wasn’t even thinking about the medical side of things,” he says. “After getting the diagnosis, I was really more concerned with getting my mind right. I was concerned with thinking positively and establishing in my spirit that this disease would not beat me.”

After undergoing prostatectomy surgery (during the operation, the entire prostate is removed) and working his way through a successful recovery, Comrie made it his mission to speak to other men his age and relate his story. “At first, it was difficult,” he says. “But I felt like if I had this disease, which was so terrible and destructive, I had to do something positive with it. I had to find some kind of silver lining. When I started telling my story, I could see that people were positively affected.”

Today, Comrie continues to speak with peers about surviving prostate cancer, and has appeared as a guest speaker at various churches and men’s group meetings. His message of survival continues to resonate with his audience. “Prostate cancer is not a death sentence,” he says. “It is a state of health that must be dealt with and treated. I wanted my friends and colleagues to be empowered with the knowledge that should they get prostate cancer, they can, and will, survive — just like me.”

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