El Paso man raising awareness by sharing his prostate cancer story

An ABC-7 viewer who recently discovered he has prostate cancer is sharing his story in order to raise awareness about one of the deadliest forms of cancer in the U.S.

“I felt compelled to share my story because I was the macho guy who thought, ‘If it’s not broken, I’m not going,'” explained Paco Salas-Porras.

The 58-year-old is a longtime finance manager at Casa Ford in El Paso. He will have his prostate removed this week after doctors discovered cancer. “I’m blessed that it got caught right now, where its still contained in my prostate. I lost a friend at church who had it. He just didn’t catch it in time.”

Breast cancer is the most-prevalent form of cancer in the United States, with nearly a quarter of a million cases just this year.

Lung cancer is second, with more than 224,000 cases. Prostate cancer, it might surprise you, is third with more than 180,000 cases this year.

It was a blood drive at Casa Ford, where Salas-Porras has worked for 15 years, that may have saved his life. After giving blood, a nurse told Salas-Porras his cholesterol levels were high, leading him to go to the doctor and get checked.

“I’m very, very lucky that we did have the blood drive,” Salas-Porras said. “I’m very, very lucky that I did go after that and get a blood test.”

“Men typically have symptoms of urinary discomfort or frequency, urinary urgency, waking up at night,” said Dr. Jeffrey Spier, a surgeon with El Paso’s Rio Grande Urology, whose group will remove Salas-Porras’ prostate. “It’s catching it at an early stage, and in his situation, in this particular patient’s situation, I think he’s very fortunate.”

Dr. Spier said the two best ways to detect prostate cancer is by evaluating a prostate specific antigen test or a digital rectal exam, which men dread.

“That’s the importance of a story like this,” Dr. Spier said, “Yo encourage men to pursue that consultation with their physician because without those two tests this can go undetected.”

“Key here is to get checked, that’s the awareness here, that’s why I’m here,” Salas-Porras said. “Don’t be afraid of the area that we’re dealing with here. That’s the problem with a lot of guys. We’re dealing with a so-to-say macho area.”

Salas-Porras’ surgery is scheduled for Wednesday. ABC-7 wishes him the best.

No-Shave November begins on Tuesday. Men are urged to donate the money they spend on shaving to help raise prostate cancer awareness.