sidney poitier,

over
-
sidney poitier, 82, triumphed over poverty and
racial prejudice to become one of the greatest movie actors
ever—and then he
overcame prostate cancer
A
lready recognized as one of the most successful actors
of all time, Sidney Poitier was still flourishing in his
mid-60s: acting, directing and enjoying the attention of his
children, grandchildren and an adoring public. But then the
biopsy result came back: prostate cancer. Like the unprovoked
punch to the face from a white man when he was 14—an
early encounter with racism he’ll never forget—the blow was
unexpected and devastating. How could this happen?
Born the seventh child to a semiliterate tomato farmer in
the Bahamas, Poitier began his unlikely rise to stardom
after trying an acting class in Harlem at 18. He is not the only
tall, handsome, confident and articulate black man to reach
the top of his calling. The list unfurls from Frederick Douglass,
George Washington Carver and Thurgood Marshall to
Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, Denzel Washington, Colin
Powell and Barack Obama. But he stands as high as any of
them in the impact he had in breaking down racial prejudice
because of the roles he undertook.
In the racially charged 1960s, he burst stereotypes by playing exemplary leading men who exuded dignity. He builds a
chapel for no pay in Lilies of the Field, teaches inner-city kids
in To Sir, with Love, solves a homicide in a racist Southern
town in In the Heat of the Night and confronts the prejudice of
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early poitier
his white fiancée’s father in Guess Who’s Coming to
Dinner. Only Gary Cooper has starred in as many
movies (five) among the American Film Institute’s
“100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time.”
Poitier set a standard that black actors have emulated ever since. On the night he was handed an Oscar
for his life’s work in 2002, Halle Berry and Denzel
Washington lavished praise on him when they won
their own Best Actor and Best Actress awards—the
first black stars to win the award since Poitier in
1964, who was the very first back then. “Forty years
I’ve been chasing Sidney,” Washington told the
audience. “I’ll always be chasing you, Sidney.”
But it was prostate cancer that had chased him
several years before that special night. His oldest
brother, Cyril, died of the disease before Sidney’s
diagnosis and two longtime friends, Harry Belafonte
and Quincy Jones, have survived the disease. Only
lung cancer kills more men among all cancers, but
Poitier won this chase because he got ahead of it.
a cancer you can beat
“What most men don’t realize is that when prostate
cancer is caught early, before it spreads beyond the
prostate gland, the five-year survival rate is above
99 percent,” says Durado Brooks, M.D., director
of prostate and colorectal cancer for the American
Cancer Society. “Some men still believe that a prostate cancer diagnosis is a death sentence, which
prevents them from getting needed tests.”
It was during such a test, a routine blood check,
that Poitier’s doctor noticed a jump in his prostatespecific antigen (PSA) level from four to six. An
elevated PSA is one indicator of prostate cancer,
although more often it’s only a sign of inflammation,
an infection or nothing at all. A urologist took four
biopsies, and the fourth one revealed cancer cells.
His doctor’s diligence proved to be a lifesaver.
If cancer is detected, the most common treatment
options are “watchful waiting,” radiation therapy,
and partial or full surgical removal of the prostate—
the option that Poitier chose. (Hormone therapy
or chemotherapy are considered if the cancer has
spread beyond the prostate.) Poitier was taking no
chances because of what happened to his brother.
Cyril, also a film actor, lost his battle with the disease at age 81 because it was too far advanced to
stop it when diagnosed. Most scientists believe that
the growing number of men getting regular prostate
screenings—a digital rectal exam (DRE) and PSA
blood test—has dramatically reduced fatalities.
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highlights
1967
Above, Poitier as Virgil Tibbs,
alongside costar Rod Steiger
in In the Heat of the Night
1963
Right, from his starring
role in Lilies of the Field.
1967
Breaking down racial
barriers in the controversial
film To Sir, with Love.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY (TOP TO BOTTOM) SUNSHINE/RETNA LTD., J.T./RETNA LTD., CAMERA PRESS/RETNA LTD.
9/16/09 8:58:56 AM
are you at risk?
“When I learned about the cancer I was mostly
concerned for my family, more than myself,” he told
Vim & Vigor. “But fortunately, because I got the tests,
the cancer was diagnosed early and the surgery
stopped it before it could spread. It’s very important
for all men, beginning in their 40s and 50s, to talk
to their doctors and to get exams. This is especially
true for African-Americans because they’re affected
more often.”
Black men contract prostate cancer in higher
numbers, so Poitier has been promoting the
importance of regular screenings for black men,
in particular, since his close call. He wrote in his
2008 book, Life Beyond Measure (HarperOne):
“As a result of my own experience, I try to deliver
to them the message … ‘Whatever it takes, go and
get an examination for prostate cancer, because it
can kill you like it has killed many, many men.’ …
I’ve lived a normal life, normal in every way, and
I’m here—15 years later, I’m here.”
detecting smoke
Age is the biggest risk factor for prostate cancer.
“Scientists believe that the DNA mutations needed
for it to form take decades to accumulate,” explains
Jonathan Simons, M.D., president of the Prostate
Cancer Foundation, “so we see far more cases in older
men.” Here are the key risk factors:
AGE About two-thirds of all diagnosed cases are in
men over 65, and nearly 12 percent of men in their 70s
or 80s develop it.
FAMILY HISTORY The risk doubles if an immediate
family member had it.
RACE Black men have the highest rate (1.6 times
higher than whites); Hispanics and Asian-Americans
have the lowest rates.
showed that heavy drinkers are susceptible to
prostate cancer.
• EAT RIGHT Research reveals that a high-fat diet
may slightly increase prostate cancer risk, and
eating fruits, vegetables, vitamin-rich foods and
soy products may reduce the risk. The role that
diet plays in prostate cancer needs more study,
the American Cancer Society says.
• EXERCISE Regular exercise might slightly reduce
the risk of advanced prostate cancer.
All men in their 40s should talk to their doctors
about getting DRE and PSA screenings, and will
likely be advised to get annual checks beginning
at 45 or 50, depending on their risk factors. “These
screenings are like a smoke detector,” says Jonathan
Simons, M.D., president of the Prostate Cancer
Foundation. “Sometimes they go off when there’s
be smart like sidney
no fire, but they’re our best way to catch a problem
In his Best Actor Oscar role in Lilies of the Field, Poitier
early so that a small fire doesn’t become a lethal
plays a handyman whose car troubles strand him
one.” Some doctors don’t think that annual tests
at a farm where five nuns live. When he arrives, the
are necessary for all men because prostate cancer
mother superior—intent on getting a chapel built—
grows so slowly, but there is wide agreement that
pronounces, “God is good. He has sent me a big,
men should at least discuss screenings with their
strong man.” In his acting roles and in life, Poitier
doctors. Also, screenings sometimes miss prosis big and strong and confident, but prostate cancer
tate cancer, so see your doctor if you have any of
temporarily opened a crack in his armor.
its symptoms: problems that involve urination
“With blunt honesty,” he wrote in his 2000 autoor ejaculation, or frequent stiffness or pain in the
biography, The Measure of a Man (HarperCollins),
lower back, hips or upper thighs.
“my cancer said, ‘You’re not
Keep in mind that most
a star, you’re a human being,
of the same healthy lifestyle
vulnerable like all the rest.’ ”
habits that help prevent other
By getting ahead of the cancancers, stroke and heart disBecoming informed about prostate
cer early, he overcame that
ease promote prostate health:
health and prostate cancer can
vulnerability and has gone
• DON’T SMOKE Heavy,
save your life or the life of a loved
long-term smokers are more
on to accept an Oscar, write
one. To find a physician, contact the
likely to die from prostate
three books and meet his
Lake Regional Physician Referral line
cancer than nonsmokers.
great-grandchildren. As in
at
573-348-8385
or
visit
DON’T
DRINK
TO
EXCESS
most of his movies, this story
•
lakeregional.com.
A 2009 review of studies
has a happy ending.
a prostate primer
go
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