Man Up to Cancer

Twice a week, Bob Lane takes a seat beside an elevator at a prostate cancer clinic in Charlotte, N.C., and waits.The men who come through those doors may have just learned their cancer has spread. They may be scared, overwhelmed, or unsure what questions to ask. Bob doesn't approach them. He lets them come to him.And they do.Bob has now talked with hundreds of patients and families — sharing what he's learned from more than a decade of living with prostate cancer, including metastatic disease that spread to the very top of his spine.Around the clinic, everybody knows him by another name:Elevator Bob.Bob is 70 years old, a retired insurance professional from South Carolina, and a husband, father, prostate cancer patient and advocate. He was diagnosed in 2014, and today his metastatic cancer is stable on treatment. His advocacy now extends well beyond that elevator, through speaking, media appearances, and work with prostate cancer organizations across the country.Today, you're going to meet him.Bob's "three-legged" stool approach to patient support and information:1) Medical care team2) Family and friends3) Other patients who have walked the road before youSPONSOR SHOUT OUT!I want to thank my sponsor for this episode, Pfizer.This Is Living with Cancer™ is a free online resource developed by Pfizer Oncology for all people​ living with cancer, regardless of age, income, race, location, cancer type, or stage of disease. This​ comprehensive program is available to anyone in the US, whether they’re on a Pfizer​ treatment or not, with a growing focus on those facing challenges accessing care.Visit ThisIsLivingWithCancer.com to learn more.I can't make this podcast happen without sponsors that believe in storytelling and the elevation of real patient voices.All views are my own, and the opinions expressed in this show do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of our sponsors.

This episode is a special one for me because my guests are Ed St. John and Ken McGhee, two of the leaders of an organization called The PC Tribe — a peer-to-peer brotherhood for men living with prostate cancer.And the PC Tribe has some pretty deep roots in Man Up to Cancer.Its founder, Tracy Morgan, was one of the early members of our community and became a close friend. Tracy saw what was happening when guys with all types of cancer started connecting with each other inside the Howling Place, MUTC's original FB group.He believed men with prostate cancer needed a place of their own to build those same kinds of relationships. So in 2021, he created the PC Tribe.What started with one guy pushing a button to create a Facebook group has grown into a community of more than 1,800 men from around the world, with Zoom gatherings, an annual in-person Rendezvous, and a growing organization dedicated to making sure men don't face prostate cancer alone.Tracy died in October 2025.But what he created is very much alive.And two of the men helping carry it forward are with me today.https://www.facebook.com/ThePCTribe public pagehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thepctribeprivate private groupwww.pctribe.orgSPONSOR SHOUT OUT!I want to thank my sponsor for this episode, Pfizer.This Is Living with Cancer™ is a free online resource developed by Pfizer Oncology for all people​ living with cancer, regardless of age, income, race, location, cancer type, or stage of disease. This​ comprehensive program is available to anyone in the US, whether they’re on a Pfizer​ treatment or not, with a growing focus on those facing challenges accessing care.Visit ThisIsLivingWithCancer.com to learn more.I can't make this podcast happen without sponsors that believe in storytelling and the elevation of real patient voices.All views are my own, and the opinions expressed in this show do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of our sponsors.

During our conversation for the Man Up to Cancer Podcast, Andrés Garrido took a deep breath and said this:“The only thing you have in life is affection.”From more than 5,000 miles away, I felt an instant connection to this man I'd never met. I'm so proud to share that moment with you.When Andrés was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer at age 51, he approached it the way he had approached some of the hardest climbs of his life.A lifelong cyclist from Chile who has spent decades climbing the Andes Mountains, Andrés was determined to fight, endure, and keep moving upward.But cancer challenged far more than his physical strength. Surgery, radiation and hormone therapy shook his sense of control, sexuality and identity as a man.In this deeply intimate conversation, Andrés speaks like a warrior poet. He shares openly about depression and shame, rebuilding intimacy with his wife of 37 years, and discovering how desperately men need meaningful friendships with other men. He also takes us inside Chilean culture, where prostate cancer, sexual side effects and male vulnerability can still be surrounded by stigma and silence.Cycling runs through Andrés' story. When his doctor warned that treatment-related muscle loss might keep him from crossing the Andes again, Andrés promised to send him a photograph from his bike when he made it across. He did.Eleven years after diagnosis, Andrés no longer speaks of cancer simply as an enemy. He describes it as an uninvited guest that taught him unforgettable lessons.“The only thing you have in life is affection.”This is a conversation about prostate cancer, masculinity, marriage, friendship and survival — and about the walls that can come down when two men give each other permission to be vulnerable. It is one of the most intimate conversations we've had on the Man Up to Cancer podcast.In this episode, Andrés and I talk about:Facing aggressive, high-grade prostate cancer with no symptoms or family historyLosing control of the life he thought he had plannedShame, depression, vulnerability and rebuilding intimacy after treatmentAndrés’ 37-year marriage and finding a new chapter togetherProstate cancer, masculinity and stigma in ChileAndrés’ vision for supporting patients in rural PatagoniaSPONSOR SHOUT OUT!I want to thank my sponsor for this episode, Pfizer.This Is Living with Cancer™ is a free online resource developed by Pfizer Oncology for all people​ living with cancer, regardless of age, income, race, location, cancer type, or stage of disease. This​ comprehensive program is available to anyone in the US, whether they’re on a Pfizer​ treatment or not, with a growing focus on those facing challenges accessing care.Visit ThisIsLivingWithCancer.com to learn more.I can't make this podcast happen without sponsors that believe in storytelling and the elevation of real patient voices.All views are my own, and the opinions expressed in this show do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of our sponsors.

Mark Harris is one of those guys who makes you feel better just by being around him.He's a prostate cancer survivor, longtime fitness professional, husband, father, man of deep faith, and a tireless advocate for men with cancer. His enthusiasm for life is infectious. And behind that enthusiasm is a story of cancer, unimaginable loss, faith, and purpose.Mark was diagnosed with prostate cancer in October 2013 at age 57. When his urologist told him, "You have prostate cancer, but I'm going to do everything I can to help you," Mark focused on the second half of that sentence. That's Mark. He was raised to look for the bright side, even when it's hard to find.Then, just six days later, Mark's 30-year-old son, Mychal, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer of the salivary gland.Suddenly, father and son were traveling the cancer road together.Mychal died four months later, in February 2014. Mark underwent his own radical prostatectomy just two months after losing his son. More than a decade later, his prostate cancer remains undetectable.Through everything Mark has endured, two things have remained foundational: look for the bright side, and keep the faith.Today, he has turned those beliefs into action. Mark works with cancer support groups, researchers, cancer centers and advocacy organizations across the country. He is especially passionate about reaching Black men, who face a disproportionate burden from prostate cancer, and getting men to become more proactive about their health.In this episode, Mark and I talk about:What it really means for a man to be "strong" during cancerWhy talking about cancer doesn't take away your masculinityGoing through cancer alongside his son and then grieving his deathThe faith that has carried Mark through the hardest moments of his lifeMaking an informed prostate cancer treatment decisionWhy men need to know their PSA number, not just assume their doctor doesThe disproportionate impact of prostate cancer on Black menHow Mark's cancer experience grew into a life of patient advocacy and serviceSPONSOR SHOUT OUT!I want to thank my sponsor for this episode, Pfizer.This Is Living with Cancer™ is a free online resource developed by Pfizer Oncology for all people​ living with cancer, regardless of age, income, race, location, cancer type, or stage of disease. This​ comprehensive program is available to anyone in the US, whether they’re on a Pfizer​ treatment or not, with a growing focus on those facing challenges accessing care.Visit ThisIsLivingWithCancer.com to learn more.I can't make this podcast happen without sponsors that believe in storytelling and the elevation of real patient voices.All views are my own, and the opinions expressed in this show do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of our sponsors.

Joe Bullock from Durham, N.C., has been my right-hand man, my ride or die, and one of my closest friends for more than six years. I’m incredibly grateful for his friendship and for the professional partnership we’ve built along the way. Man Up to Cancer simply would not be what it is today without Joe. We’ve built this thing together through some incredible highs, some crushing losses, and a whole lot of moments when neither of us really knew what the hell we were doing.Joe now serves as Director of Programs and Partnerships for Man Up to Cancer.For Joe’s sixth appearance on the MUTC Podcast, we talk about:The Gathering of Wolves: How a crazy idea to bring guys together in the woods in 2022 has grown into the fiery hot center of the MUTC movement — and what we never want to lose as it grows.Men, cancer and mental health: Joe is leading the upcoming Men’s Cancer and Mental Health Conference at UNC, and we talk about why this event needs to exist and where the cancer system still falls short when it comes to the emotional lives of men.Joe’s upcoming book: Joe talks about the book he’s writing. It's his own deeply personal story of cancer and survivorship, and an exploration of friendship, fear, grief, identity, and the emotional scars that don’t disappear when treatment ends.You can connect with Joe at [email protected]. LINKS:Man Up to CancerGathering of Wolves men's cancer retreatMen's Cancer and Mental Health ConferenceColontownWant to hear more about Joe, his story, and the early days of Man Up to Cancer? Here are the links to his five previous appearances on the podcast.Howlin' Joe Bullock — July 14, 2020, Episode 1Listen to Howlin' Joe BullockCancerland legend Joe Bullock is back to talk about the Howling Place, COLONTOWN JR., and... forest bathing — January 12, 2021, Episode 23Listen to the episodeHas Joe Bullock cloned himself? #Cancerland needs to know! — March 22, 2022, Episode 57Listen to Has Joe Bullock cloned himself?Man Up to Cancer grows up w/ Joe Bullock — January 9, 2024, Episode 73Listen to Man Up to Cancer grows upTwo guys With Cancer and a Dream — February 24, 2026, Episode 83Listen to Two guys With Cancer and a Dream