Clark Howard says he has prostate cancer
WSB-AM and HLN host Clark Howard has early-stage prostate cancer.
He told me he's set to announce it today on his radio show at 2:30 p.m.
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Given what doctors had warned him leading up to the diagnosis two-plus weeks ago, he said he wasn't surprised. And since the doctors detected it so early, his chance of full recovery, he said, is almost 100 percent.
After extensive research (you wouldn't expect anything less from Clark), he plans to have laproscopic surgery, though he has yet to set a date. Howard said when he does the surgery, he will be out two weeks to recover.
Howard, who is 53 years old, said he was on his annual trip with his employees, this year to China, when his wife Lane called him with the news. "There was no shock, no fear," he said. "This isn't what's going to kill me. It's probably going to be something like driving down 285 will kill me." (He also used to ride a scooter around town but his wife forced him to sell it.)
He plans to encourage male listeners to get checked. "Guys don't go to the doctor," he said. "That's a big mistake. What kills guys are silent killers. We don't do the basics we should like go for physicals and checkups." Women generally "are more used to being poked around. Guys are really wimps about this stuff."
Howard notes that in Europe, doctors often go into "watchful waiting" for early detection cancer patients, checking every 90 days. But only 9 percent of patients in the United States take that option, he said. Here, people would rather get the surgery over with pronto.
The well-reknowned cheapskate is such an upbeat, amiable guy, when he has told colleagues and friends about it, they sometimes don't believe him. "Everybody reacts in their own way," he said, based on their own experiences. "If they had a family member die of a brutal cancer, it's doom and gloom. If they had a family member have a minor cancer, they're cool."
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
