broken to serve on twitter

hey, brothers! i'm now on twitter! just a way to give some brief one-liner information on prostate cancer awareness. sort of a "cliff notes" version of the blog ;-)

just click the logo above or on the right of the page.

Health and Wellness/Spring Fest, Saturday, 4.4.09

This Saturday, April 4, there will be a Spring Fest/Health and Wellness Fair at my church, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. There will be fun and games for the kids and health & wellness information for everyone. Many will have tables with various information on lots of health topics. I will be there with my table set up talking about prostate screening. ATTENTION ALL MEN 35 AND UP: Come by and talk with me!!! I want to spread the word about what the Lord has done with me and also inform and encourage men to get themselves screened. See ya there!!!


For more info click here and then click on the Spring Fest/Health and Wellness 2009 link under the April 4, 2009 heading. Praise GOD for our Fellowship Medical Ministry!!!

And the results are in...!

Ok, folks. As promised, I checked my mail this evening and my latest PSA results were there. Drumroll, please...


Still 0.013! Yes! Praise the LORD for his continuous grace!!! This is the same as my last PSA 6 months ago! And, as I mentioned in my last post, my next visit is next year! Wow – you know, when I think about the holiness and sovereignty of GOD Almighty and what I am compared to Him, I know full well that I'm totally undeserving of His mercy! How about any of you, brothers? Can any of you say the same? Even if you can't (or won't), you're still a recipient! What makes it better for each of us is when it's acknowledged by us! Deliverance from any form of sickness, from the smallest cold or headache to the worst form of cancer, is only by the grace of GOD! It's not medicine, it's not human will, and there is no luck. It's not even healthy eating, even though it is highly beneficial and we should eat healthy. After all, Who do you think created the healthy, natural foods??? Who gives us wisdom and guides our hearts and minds to decide to eat right? Who blesses our food, mainly when we ask? It's all Him 'cause He's all good!!!

Cool news!

I was at my urologist this morning at Methodist Hospital getting my 6-month check up. The doctor informed me that the hospital just got its first DaVinci machine! YAHOO!!! I've been in conversation with Tim Upshaw, the guy who directs the Prostate Screening & Awareness Program there, and he was concerned that while they have the best and busiest screening program in the country, any time someone is thinking about surgery they want to know more about the robotic procedure. The problem is that these men would get screened by Methodist, but had to go elsewhere for the surgery, like I did. Well, they finally got one. That's some exciting news. When I left the office, I called Tim immediately to share the excitement. It's about time and it'll be really good for them 'cause now they can start to give some full treatment and not just screenings.


Some more cool news: My doctor told me for my next check up that he'll see me next year!!! Yeah, baby! Yearly check ups now!!! Oh, how I love the favor of GOD! Especially since I'm so undeserving of Him. Thank you, Father!


I should get my PSA results in about a week and will be posting them here. Peace!

new site (and belated anniversary)

Hey, hey, hey!!! Just like I planned – a new name and a new look for the blog. "Broken to serve" went from slogan to main title. It just makes more sense than 'openvessel' - that title never sat well with me. I also changed the introduction. As you can see, this is way beyond just cancer survival. There's a bigger purpose in it than just saying "I'm still here." This is true for every survivor. I'm just one of the relative few who acknowledge it – and the credit does not go to me!


I forgot to mention a few weeks ago that December 28, 2008 was my 2nd year anniversary from the surgery and being cancer free! God is so merciful! I get my next PSA check in about 2 weeks. As always, you'll get the report right here.


One more thing: I still have the gracious opportunity to talk to brothers who are diagnosed and looking for treatment options. Just recently a couple of brothers called me to say that they had their surgery and inform me how well they're doing and thanking me for the information that I was able to give them so that they would know what to look for. They always apologize for calling me, but I tell them that they should call me and I'm glad they did. And I want them to keep calling me to let me know how they're doing so that I can continue to praise the Lord for using me and for delivering and using them! This is not about me. It's not about them. It's about the sovereignty of God and His amazing grace and mercy!

Out with the (somewhat) old (blog), in with the new!

Ok, as hard as I worked on coming up with a term to explain my passion and heart for being used to serve others with my prostate cancer survival, I've decided to retire the "openvessel" name. I still like it, but it never really grabbed me, especially since I had a time trying to explain it. If you have a hard time trying to explain or describe a concept then it's too abstract. What really stands out the most for me is my slogan "broken to serve." So, that will be the name of the new blog that I'm constructing, especially since I've already purchased the domain name for it (see the link to the right). With "openvessel," I was trying to say it with one term. Something simple but with a big meaning. That's the designer in me. But sometimes I find that short phrases can do the same thing. "Broken to serve" just has that ring - enough so that it is not only my slogan but also the main concept. Same scripture reference though. That one says it all. I will keep this blog up for at least 6 months to a year after I launch the new one. Stay tuned. See new logo above. Hmmm. That means I've gotta get another t-shirt made... And new cards... Oh, well.

Another free screening and PSA update

My church had another one of its monthly men's fellowships with another annual prostate health screening on November 1. As I was walking in my pastor wanted me to come sit by him and share a few words with the brothers about my survival and to encourage them, which is what I always look forward to. My own PSA checks are now at 6-month periods. I'm not due for another check until February 09 but why not do it since they're here for free? My results came back about 2-3 weeks later and I'm still undetectable!!!! Praise the Lord!!!! The number was <0.04 which was the normal PSA lab test that the hospital does in their own lab. I normally get the "ultra-sensitive" test done that goes out to the thousandths place. But, good report anyway! Now I need to work on my cholesterol. My bad cholesterol was good, but my good cholesterol showed a little low. Need to work on that.


After the screening I had the chance to talk with another brother who tested positive as a result of the same free screening. He was not from my fellowship, but was screened by the same hospital. I was called by the prostate screening program coordinator (again) and given the information. As others, the brother had a few questions about surgery options and post-surgery concerns. It does my heart good to inform and encourage other men with my experience. Please feel free to email me any questions or concerns that you may have about prostate cancer. I don't know everything, but I know enough and will find out more for anyone if I need to.


I would strongly encourage men who belong to churches or any other local organizations to rally together and have some health fairs and screenings. Get with your local hospitals and see if they offer free prostate screening programs. Many lives can be saved with early detection of this disease. What's that old saying? "What you don't know can't hurt you." What a lie! Many think that if they don't know then it can't affect them. Most of us men are just dumb like that (me included). I can just imagine how many men, especially African American men, who are just walking around day by day with prostate cancer in their bodies and just don't know it because there are no symptoms at first. There's another old saying that's a better one: "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Just because you don't know about it doesn't make it go away or not exist. Brothers, GET SCREENED NOW before it becomes too late!!! Prostate cancer doesn't wait for you to find out about it before it starts to grow. Give that some thought.