Housing Minister, Michael Finnegan has been out of the country for three weeks. That's because he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February. The 60-year-old senior member for the UDP went to Detroit, Michigan on April 15th where, with the assistance of Dr. Errol Elrington, who practices in Detroit, he had his prostate removed.
The procedure was done last week using one of the most advanced medical technologies called the "Da Vinci surgery," which is a human-guided robotic procedure. The cancer was found at a very early stage so with the removal of the prostate it is completely contained.
Speaking to us from Michigan today, Finnegan told us he is recovering smartly and wants to be home like tomorrow.
Hon. Michael Finnegan
"I went under surgery for prostate cancer. The surgery went quite well I think. The surgery was for 6 hours to remove the prostate glands from my body."
Dr. Errol Elrington
"The repeat biopsy did show that there were some early signs of cancer. And at that point, the best treatment was to remove the prostate completely."
Hon. Michael Finnegan
"I lost a lot of blood during surgery. My blood count went down extremely low after the surgery, so Dr. Elrington and Dr. Fatah treated me to build back the blood."
Jules Vasquez
"How soon will you be back home in Belize and also back in your office at Amara Avenue?"
Hon. Michael Finnegan
"I want to be back tomorrow if humanly possible."
Jules Vasquez
"Having now lived through prostate cancer and recovering from the removal of your prostate, is it an issue that you think needs greater awareness, that you would like to encourage other men over the age of 40 to have their prostate check regularly?"
Hon. Michael Finnegan
"Prostate cancer is a Black man's disease and you dont have to die from it. What you need to do is to monitor your PSA on a yearly basis especially when men reach the age of 40. I would advise to do it before you reach the age of 50 and I would advise that men do it between the age of 40-45, so that you can monitor your PSA count to see what is happening. I am fortunate that I have been doing my PSA count for the last 8-9 years."
Finnegan owes his original diagnosis to Dr. Michael Pitts the director of health services who directed him to Elrington in Detroit. He is being cared for by his wife Dianne and as she returns this weekend, his daughter Agassie – who is finishing up her first year in law school will take up his care.
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