Savannah mayor helps raise prostate cancer awareness

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The message the medical community puts out every September was amplified this year with one statement from City Hall.

“You did not see me miss a beat,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said when announcing he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. ”I have been treated again. I have not missed a beat and I am still Savannah Strong."

The mayor made his announcement on September 2, the second day of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

And it helped bring local attention to the cause doctors sometimes can struggle to communicate .

“I hope that made people aware of the importance of coming to the doctor and getting all your screening, including prostate cancer screening,” said Dr. Nicholas Carbo, an internist at SouthCoast Health in Savannah. ”Because knowing and having the options to act on it is really important."

Dr. Carbo says it is also important for men above the age of 50 to know how easy a prostate cancer screening is.

“It’s a lab test,” he said. ”So, if you have to have labs for any other reason, it’s all in the same tube."