Charlie Wilson - Prostate Cancer Foundation

Life for Charlie Wilson, the successful R&B artist widely known as the lead vocalist for the Gap Band, is rarely sedentary. He travels constantly—one day he may be in Los Angeles recording a new song in the studio, the next day he could be in New York City performing top hits in front of adoring fans.

However in September 2008, Charlie discovered he had prostate cancer and suddenly life came to a complete standstill. Famous entertainer or not, no one is ever completely prepared to learn they have cancer. For Charlie, the diagnosis felt like someone dropped a bomb on him.

"I was mortified when the doctor told me I had prostate cancer," said Charlie. "Hearing the words 'you have cancer'—I don’t care what kind of cancer it is—will scare the hell out of you."

Being an African-American man whose father had also been diagnosed with prostate cancer years earlier, Charlie's odds of developing prostate cancer were at an increased risk of 1 in 3 – compared to the overall 1 in 6 American men who are diagnosed each year with the disease. Studies have shown that African-American men are nearly twice as likely to develop prostate cancer compared with Caucasian men, and are nearly 2.5 times as likely to die from the disease.

"The statistics are scary, but black men still aren't talking about it," explains Charlie. "A lot of brothers out there don't get checked out because they think they can overcome anything or they think getting tested will take away from their 'manhood'. Well, for years I've been performing, now its time to start informing. A man dies from this disease every 18 minutes. Prostate cancer is serious business."

Like many men in Charlie's situation, he knew little about prostate cancer and the importance of early detection for the disease. In fact, had it not been for his wife's insistence that Charlie have a prostate cancer screening – the end result could have been tragic.

It has been widely believed that women play an important influence for motivating their male spouses on matters of health. In December 2008 this viewpoint was supported by a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. In that study, which surveyed 2,500 men, it was revealed that married men and men living with a significant other were more prone to get early screening for prostate cancer. Due to Charlie's wife's continued prodding, that same early screening very likely saved Charlie's life.

"I knew how important it is for him to have an annual check-up,” said Charlie's wife, Mahin. "As an entertainer, Charlie is on the road a lot. I wanted to make sure everything with his health was okay. He hates going to the doctor, but this was something I had to insist on."

After discussing various treatment alternatives with his wife and physician, Charlie decided brachytherapy would be the best personal decision for treating his prostate cancer. On November 21, 2008 he had tiny metal pellets containing radioactive iodine inserted into his prostate via needles - entering through the skin behind the testicles.

Over the next several months the seeds will give off radiation to the immediate surrounding area of Charlie's prostate, killing off the present cancer cells. In time, the radioactive material will eventually degrade, leaving the remaining seeds harmless in his prostate.

"My recovery from the surgery has been excellent," said Charlie. "I couldn't exactly ride a bicycle right away afterwards, but I'm feeling pretty good with the results. I'm loving life now more than ever."

Having successfully recovered from the surgery, Charlie has now made it his mission to use his prominent name in the African-American community to spread the word on the importance of early detection for prostate cancer. He'll be taking this message on the road with him as he begins a media and concert tour in support of his new Jive Records CD, Uncle Charlie, which features the top ten single, "There Goes My Baby." Uncle Charlie will be released on February 17, 2009.

Charlie also plans to deliver his message overseas to U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Kuwait when he performs for them in late February.

"Men need to get their PSA levels checked along with the DRE [digital rectal exam]," proclaims Charlie. "When I'm on stage [performing] I'll have the microphone in my hand and that'll give me the power to help get the word out about prostate cancer. When caught and treated early, this disease has a cure rate of over 90%. Men, women and families need to educate themselves about this disease.”"