Self-Screening for Testicular Cancer

By Troy Glover
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

Testicular cancer is a rare form of cancer that most commonly, but not only, affects men aged 15 to 35. Those who are among the highest risk are people who have an undescended testicle or a family history of testicular cancer. This rare cancer directly affects the testicles but can also cause secondary effects. Treatment usually involves removing the affected testicle through surgery, but chemotherapy may be required alongside surgery in some cases. If the cancer has spread, additional treatment may be needed to treat the secondary cancers.

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Cancer Screening for Transgender and Gender-Diverse People

By Lily H-A
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

The goal of cancer screening is to catch cancer early, when it is more treatable and curable. Some cancer screenings, like colonoscopies, are recommended for everybody once they reach a certain age. However, other types of screening, like prostate screening and mammograms, have traditionally been recommended based on gender assuming that this matches sex assigned at birth. The medical guidelines for cancer screening do not yet reflect the needs of trans people, and there is also limited data about trans people’s risks for various cancers and how gender-affirming care like hormones and surgeries may affect these risks. As a general rule, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Transgender Care recommends that people get cancer screenings based on the body parts they have, regardless of gender or hormones.

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Incarcerated by Cancer

By Shawn Harris
From PHN Issue 53, Summer 2023

“There is a list of 132 inmates diagnosed with cancer,” announced the psychologist assigned to my block. She was sitting in front of her computer as the Psychology Department head and I discussed the commencement of the first-ever Cancer Support Group at my prison. I had for the past year been stressing the importance of having a cancer support group at my facility. We were having a meeting to finalize the date and time when the group would start. We weren’t certain if there were even enough inmates diagnosed in the prison to warrant a support group. In fact, the Psychology Department head specifically asked me how many inmates I knew were currently battling the illness. He even struggled to recall one or two he remembered working with in recent days. So, when the psychologist said the number, we were all stunned.

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Ask PHN: Prostate Problems

By Seth Lamming
From PHN Issue 52, Spring 2023

Dear Prison Health News,
Would you please send any and all information on an enlarged prostate? What is the end result if I have to have it removed?

– Sincerely, Mr. Tracy

Dear Mr. Tracy,
Prostate health is an important topic for anyone who has a penis. The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut that sits below the bladder and in front the rectum. It wraps around the urethra, the tube that pee and semen come out of. When the prostate is big, it squeezes the urethra and makes it harder to pee. Its main purpose is to make some of the fluid that goes into semen. In this article, we will discuss benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer.

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Breast Cancer SELF-EXAMS & SCREENING

By Frankie Snow
From PHN Issue 51, Winter 2023

It can be helpful to know the look and feel of your breasts so you are aware when changes occur. If you notice lumps, pain, or changes in size, talk with your doctor about further testing. Try to complete a self-exam once a month, usually seven days after the start of your period, or on the same date each month if you do not menstruate.

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Surviving Breast Cancer

By Chrystal Pfeifer
From PHN Issue 51, Winter 2023

My name is Chrystal and I have been on the inside since 1988. … Yes, 33 years! I have always, always been aware of the fact that we must take care of ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. I was 24 when I entered and am now 56. I could write a book.

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Ask PHN: Colon Cancer

By Belinda Christensen
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

Dear Prison Health News,
Thank you for having me on your mailing list. By the way, do you know anything about colon cancer? My father died of it in July of 1999, and one of my brothers died of it in 2013, so I know it runs in my family. I would highly appreciate learning more about it, if you can.
— Gabriel Fuentes, California

Dear Mr. Fuentes,
Thank you for your letter, and for the wonderful drawing. I’m very sorry to hear that your father and brother passed away from colon cancer. I’ve provided some information below about screening and prevention from the American Cancer Society and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, two organizations that work to educate people about cancer prevention and treatment.

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How To Apply For Compassionate Release In Pennsylvania: An Interview With A Jailhouse Lawyer

By Dan Lockwood
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

Bryant Arroyo is a longtime activist and jailhouse lawyer with expertise in environmentalism, advocacy, and the law. His recent success was helping Mr. Bradford “Bub” Gamble successfully obtain compassionate release. PHN is grateful that Mr. Arroyo has agreed to be interviewed to share his insights so that others can also be granted the same dignity that Mr. Gamble and his family received as a result of his compassionate release.
This information applies to Pennsylvania, but there are similar rules in other states and the federal system that can be found in the prison law library.

PHN: What is compassionate release?

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Survivors of SCI Fayette’s Toxic Water and Coal Ash Speak Out

Prison Health News is honored to share these testimonies from inside State Correctional Institution (SCI) Fayette, one of Pennsylvania’s 24 prisons. While many prisons force people to live in environmentally toxic and unsafe conditions, the case of SCI Fayette is shockingly severe. We hope these testimonies encourage everyone reading this to get involved in the fight to shut down SCI Fayette. For more info, please check out Abolitionist Law Center’s report, No Escape: Exposure to Toxic Coal Waste at SCI Fayette. To get involved in the fight to finally shut this prison down, reach out to the Human Rights Coalition at salenacoca (at) gmail (dot) com or write to Human Rights Coalition, Attention: Toxic Prisons Committee, PO Box 34580, Philadelphia, PA 19101. Continue reading “Survivors of SCI Fayette’s Toxic Water and Coal Ash Speak Out” →

Aging Black Liberation Political Prisoner Russell Maroon Shoatz, Bedridden with COVID-19 and Cancer, Shows Us Why PA Must #FreeEmAll

by Suzy Subways

As COVID-19 surges through the state and tears through its prisons, loved ones of incarcerated people are driving to Harrisburg today, calling for Gov. Tom Wolf to use his reprieve power to immediately release all elderly and medically vulnerable people in prison. Loved ones are also asking the Department of Corrections to require prison staff to wear face masks and be tested for COVID-19. As part of a national caravan for health and social justice, the Pennsylvania Poor People’s Campaign worked with local anti-prison groups like the Human Rights Coalition and the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration (CADBI) to center the survival of people in prison on this day. The car caravan will circle the state capitol and proceed to the governor’s mansion.

Amid the horror that is the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections right now, Black liberation movement political prisoner Russell Maroon Shoatz may be one of the best examples of how that horror is playing out for elderly prisoners and their families. Maroon is 77 years old and has been fighting stage 4 colon cancer for over a year. After testing positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 11, Maroon was held in a gymnasium with 29 other men—and only one toilet to share between them. Meanwhile, he has had blood in his stool, and his urgent surgery for the cancer is now being denied.

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