ESPN anchor Jay Harris announced on Good Morning America that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will be undergoing surgery on June 10, which will sideline him from SportsCenter for about a month.
Harris, who joined ESPN in 2003, shared that his doctor is optimistic because his last scan showed the condition has not spread. Harris said he is sharing his story to encourage men, especially Black men, to discuss important health matters that affect their demographic.
‘We all need to talk about these things because we all have them in our families,’ Harris said of on Good Morning America. ‘By not talking about them, we just, really, I hate to be morbid, but we sentence ourselves to death by not talking.’
Harris said his father had prostate cancer, and other family members on his side have also been diagnosed with it. He emphasized that he now shares more information with his son, who is in his twenties, to ensure he is aware of this family history.
What is prostate cancer?
According to the Mayo Clinic, prostate cancer is a growth of cells that starts in the part of the male reproductive system, the prostate, that is found below the bladder.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and when detected early, many individuals with this disease can be successfully treated. According to the Mayo Clinic, screening for prostate cancer can be done using a blood test called the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test, which can identify traces of cancer before any symptoms appear.