Host Mark Shanahan shares a deeply personal, sometimes harrowing, often funny, always true story about prostate cancer, a disease that affects him and millions of other men. With bracing candor and an eye for the absurd, Mark confronts cultural attitudes about masculinity, controversies surrounding screening and treatment, and his own biggest fear: that his diagnosis would wreck the healthy sex life he enjoyed with his wife. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Mr. 80 Percent is a heartfelt, hilarious, and helpful resource for men (and their families) touched by this disease.
When Mark comes out the other side, he’s decidedly not the man he used to be. But he has dodged the two outcomes he feared most: death and life without sex. Post-treatment, Mark reaches an uneasy peace with his status as a cancer survivor -- relieved, but dreading the prospect of the cancer’s return. For more, visit bostonglobe.com/prostate. Email us at prostate@globe.com.
Mark confronts a disturbing reality: His surgery didn't get all the cancer. Which means he must undergo hormone therapy and radiation, a course of treatment that produces hot flashes, temper tantrums, and wild mood swings. The bonds of family and friends are severely tested, and it's their turn to testify. For more, visit bostonglobe.com/prostate. Email us at prostate@globe.com.
If you're Black and prostate cancer runs in your family, well, that's a lottery ticket nobody wants. Tom Farrington was holding one, and he's made it his mission ever since to educate Black men about their elevated risk for getting the disease. Tom talks to Mark about losing his father and both grandfathers to it. Mark also introduces us to Bill Tinney, whose impotence following a prostatectomy turned him into an evangelist for penile implants. For more, visit bostonglobe.com/prostate. Email us at prostate@globe.com.
Mark makes his fateful decision: He will have his prostate removed. So he hunts for the best surgeon he can find. The trail begins with Dr. Patrick Walsh, a guru in the field of urology who revolutionized prostate cancer treatment by preserving men's sexual function. For more, visit bostonglobe.com/prostate. Email us at prostate@globe.com.
As Mark begins to contemplate life as a cancer patient, he's got two major worries: dying, and wrecking the sexual renaissance he's enjoying with his wife, Michelle. And not necessarily in that order. What will treatment mean for his marriage, and for his identity as a man? For more, visit bostonglobe.com/prostate. Email us at prostate@globe.com.
One day, Mark thinks he's Peter Pan. The next, he's diagnosed with prostate cancer and forced to confront his mortality. At 48. With a wife and two young kids. As Mark considers his treatment options, he pauses to wonder: If prostate cancer is so prevalent, why don't men talk about it? For more, visit bostonglobe.com/prostate. Email us at prostate@globe.com.
Introducing Mr. 80 Percent, a six-part narrative miniseries from The Boston Globe. Coming September 24.
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