You won't BELIEVE the brave journey of social media star O'Reo Jones as he opens up about his testicular cancer diagnosis! Join Dr. Corey Hebert and O'Reo as they dive deep into the importance of men's health, shedding light on why seeking medical advice is crucial, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Discover O'Reo's personal story, from his initial discomfort and the surprising diagnosis at just 32 years old, to the life-saving orchiectomy. This discussion tackles the common fears and misconceptions surrounding health check-ups in the Black community, highlighting the critical need for early detection and prevention.
Learn why the disparity in certain cancers affects different demographics and get practical advice on how to overcome the fear of visiting the doctor. This conversation is a powerful reminder that taking care of yourself is key to a long and fulfilling life.
#MensHealth #CancerAwareness #EarlyDetection
Discover O'Reo's personal story, from his initial discomfort and the surprising diagnosis at just 32 years old, to the life-saving orchiectomy. This discussion tackles the common fears and misconceptions surrounding health check-ups in the Black community, highlighting the critical need for early detection and prevention.
Learn why the disparity in certain cancers affects different demographics and get practical advice on how to overcome the fear of visiting the doctor. This conversation is a powerful reminder that taking care of yourself is key to a long and fulfilling life.
#MensHealth #CancerAwareness #EarlyDetection
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00:03Please welcome and show y'all love for Dr. Corey Hebert and O'Reo Jones.
00:24How's everybody doing today?
00:27All right, all right, look, so y'all saw us walk in.
00:30So obviously that was not a height requirement because this dude is tall.
00:36This is a big dude, man.
00:37So anyway, so look, y'all know what this is going to be about, but this is family, right?
00:45This is family, right?
00:46So we're going to have to talk because we don't like to go to the doctor.
00:50So Obio, tell me this.
00:51You're a big time social media influencer.
00:54You do all the big stuff.
00:56Millions and millions of people follow you.
01:00How did all of your stuff happen?
01:03What was your personal journey that got you to say, maybe I should go to the doctor?
01:09What's going on?
01:10What happened?
01:11Yeah.
01:12What's up, y'all?
01:13Good morning.
01:14How y'all doing?
01:15I think I had to change my relationship with discomfort.
01:19You know what I mean?
01:20I feel like I was so uncomfortable being uncomfortable that it was like, why am I uncomfortable?
01:25And I did not want to go to the doctor for him to know that I was uncomfortable.
01:29I almost felt some shame in being uncomfortable.
01:32So I was at Disneyland, which is so random.
01:34And I had so much discomfort.
01:36And I was telling my friends like, yo, I feel really uncomfortable in my area downstairs.
01:41And it's already private.
01:42And so I was like, I have to go to the doctor.
01:44I went.
01:45And sure enough, after some tests, it came back that I had tessicular cancer.
01:49And I think hearing the big C word is scary for all of us, right?
01:52No one wants to hear it.
01:53And then I was 30.
01:55Well, I was 33.
01:56No, I was 32 at the time.
01:57And so I'm like, I'm 32.
01:59I'm young.
02:00I'm turnt.
02:00There's no way you're giving me the big C.
02:03Right.
02:04And here we are.
02:05Here we are.
02:06Now, just so y'all know, because a lot of people don't know anatomy.
02:10Black people generally, black men get prostate cancer a lot.
02:13Okay.
02:14But we're talking about testicular cancer.
02:16So it's like the difference between this and this.
02:21Y'all see what I'm saying?
02:22This and this.
02:24Okay.
02:24I want people to understand.
02:26Now, hold on.
02:27I got to let them know.
02:28All right.
02:29But this is a disease that most of the time white men get.
02:34White men, most of the time, they get it.
02:37And so I think it's odd.
02:40Is there anybody in your family that actually had this?
02:44No.
02:45And what's funny, my dad had prostate cancer.
02:47He got it when he was 50.
02:49And I went in thinking that I was going to get prostate cancer.
02:52And not for nothing, I still didn't want that either.
02:54But in my mind, I was familiar with it, right?
02:56It would have felt more comfortable to be told that I had what my dad had.
02:59And sure enough, it wasn't.
03:00And then I got what's called an orchiectomy, which is the removal of your testicle.
03:04And it was invasive, but it was necessary.
03:08And I think being okay with whatever procedures I needed to be good was also a part of the journey,
03:14which is also just uncomfortable for me.
03:16But it was necessary for me to really lean in and get the treatment and do the things.
03:21And even now, post-beating cancer, you know, because I beat the cancer.
03:26Yo, he beat the cancer.
03:28Give it up!
03:29Beat that thing!
03:30But even now, being in treatment now is kind of annoying, if I'm being honest, right?
03:35Having to, like, remind myself that it's okay to go to the doctor still and, like, being a cancer survivor.
03:41And what does that mean for me?
03:42And, like, identifying as that and being okay with that identification has been a journey.
03:46Yeah.
03:47Well, you know, there's an African proverb that says, he who conceals his disease cannot ever expect to be cured.
03:54So what we have to remember is that we've got to go to the doctor.
03:59You know, 80% of African Americans that have insurance don't go get a yearly checkup.
04:0680%.
04:07So if you don't go, and you know why we don't go, why do you think black people don't go
04:12to the doctor?
04:13I mean, just...
04:14Probably just fear.
04:15It's fear.
04:16Because everybody knows the old lady in the neighborhood that wasn't feeling well.
04:21And then she decided, I'm going to go to the doctor.
04:23She goes.
04:25She has cancer.
04:26They get her on the surgical table.
04:28And when they open her up, the cancer spread because the air hit the cancer.
04:34And it spread all over the body.
04:36That's not true!
04:38Air doesn't cause, air doesn't cause cancer to spread.
04:44And what killed Miss Mary, the old lady, was the fact that she never went to the doctor.
04:48All right?
04:49That's the deal.
04:49Now, since your journey, how have you been able to give your information about prevention to the world?
04:57How have you done that?
05:00I didn't know I was opening up myself to all of my friends and peers' private areas.
05:04Because everybody's now like, hey, bro, like, is this normal?
05:07And I'm like, go to a doctor.
05:09Don't ask me.
05:10You know?
05:11But yeah, I think it's like telling people about it, talking about it, releasing the shame of it.
05:16One thing my doctor told me when I was diagnosed, before I had treatment, he was saying, do not forget
05:20to keep living.
05:21And like, the best medicine is to continue to live.
05:24Don't let it, like, defeat you.
05:25And I think living is one of the best medicines we can give ourselves, you know?
05:29Right.
05:30Well, you know, we as black people have a lot of stress.
05:33And stress is one of the number one indicators of predisposing someone to cancer.
05:40Now, you have to have genetic predisposition.
05:42You have to have some stress.
05:44You gotta have, sometimes, you just have nothing and it just pops up on you.
05:49Now, if somebody's sitting out there right now, and they are feeling that discomfort that you mentioned,
05:58what would, what inspirational words would you give them to say, look, man, you gotta go handle this?
06:05I feel like early detection is key, you know?
06:07Because even the cancer that I had, like, because I detected it early, 95% survival rate, you know?
06:13And so I think, like, early detection, take a friend.
06:16Like, have somebody you feel comfortable with talking to.
06:18I'm married, so that helps.
06:20I have a husband, so I was able to talk to him about it.
06:21But, like, have somebody you feel comfortable with that you can share your intermost self with.
06:26And I think that gives you the courage to talk to strangers.
06:29Because doctors are professionals, but they're still strangers.
06:31I don't know.
06:32I don't know this man in front of me.
06:33Exactly.
06:34And you know the weird part about that?
06:36I was talking about one of my patients the other day.
06:38Pick a doctor that you like, okay?
06:42If you cannot tell your doctor or your nurse practitioner everything, change them.
06:48And we don't think, like, if you go to a store and buy a shirt and you don't like it,
06:52you take it back because you paid for it.
06:54But you're paying a lot more for your health information and also your health promotion and you feel nervous and
07:02scared about saying, doctor, I don't like you.
07:05Doctor, I don't like that you don't answer my questions.
07:08You've got to answer the question.
07:11And if you leave the doctor's office with questions, change your doctor immediately because you didn't feel comfortable enough to
07:19ask.
07:19So let me ask a question.
07:21What male myth or health myth that you think black folks have that you'd like to debunk right now?
07:30Uh-oh.
07:32Ginger ale is not medicine.
07:36Like, it just genuinely is not, guys.
07:40Ginger ale is not going to cure everything.
07:42Now, well, ginger ale does work a little bit now.
07:46We're not going to rag on ginger ale too tough.
07:48But ginger ale is not the medicine that we think it is.
07:51Please.
07:52That's right.
07:52Right, right.
07:53So how about this?
07:54Whoa, here you go.
07:56What about tussin?
07:59What about tussin?
08:00Y'all ever heard of tussin?
08:03We put...
08:03Oh, robot?
08:04Yeah, we just call it tussin.
08:07All right?
08:08I think she's done.
08:10We put robot tussin on everything.
08:12They just call it tussin, right?
08:13We put...
08:14What else we do?
08:15Oh, I know one.
08:17If you burn yourself, do not put butter on it.
08:21Have you ever heard of that before?
08:23Putting butter on a burn?
08:25Okay.
08:2692% of black people think you put butter on a burn.
08:30Okay?
08:31Never do that.
08:33Because...
08:34But...
08:35This is important, so I'm going to have to let this ride.
08:38Okay.
08:39And this is how we kind of get caught up.
08:41Because raw cocoa butter is what you use on the scar of a burn.
08:47And that came from Africa.
08:49That came from West Africa.
08:51Okay?
08:52But how does it get translated in the Middle Passage?
08:54Now we putting margarine on a burn that we just got.
08:58And that's the worst thing.
09:00They got people walking around right now with scars all over their body.
09:03Because the worst thing you can do is to put any oil-based substance on a burn.
09:08Because it insulates the burn and makes it worse.
09:12So that gives the scar.
09:13So whenever you have a burn, you put cold compress on it.
09:18Don't put anything else on it.
09:19Because the burn is burning for 72 hours and that is the scar.
09:25So if you keep it cold for 72 hours, you won't even have a scar.
09:29Seriously, bruh.
09:31Seriously.
09:31Why did I not know that?
09:33See what I'm saying?
09:34What?
09:34We dying out here.
09:36Because of stuff like that.
09:37Where were you when my mama and my granny was asking questions and they told me to put the cocoa
09:41butter on it?
09:42Exactly, right?
09:43So you got another one?
09:46Ginger ale was one.
09:47That's a good one.
09:47My wife uses ginger ale for everything.
09:50See, I use ginger ale in sleep for everything.
09:53I'm going to go to bed.
09:53You know what I mean?
09:54My head hurt bad.
09:55My knee hurt bad.
09:56I fall bad.
09:57Just go to that bed, you know?
09:58That's important because none of us sleep well.
10:00None of us.
10:00I kind of feel like my bed has been a little bit medicinal.
10:03You know what I mean?
10:04I agree.
10:05I agree.
10:05I agree.
10:06It's the truth.
10:07Many ways.
10:08In many different ways, I'm sure.
10:09And I also feel like on a serious note though, like, having a friend is helpful.
10:15Like, I think having somebody you feel comfortable with, because it really does take the barrier out of care.
10:22I think doctors provide care, but so does friendship, so does family.
10:25And I think a lot of us are really afraid of being vulnerable, which I think the fear of the
10:29doctors really is at its foundational level.
10:31We're just afraid of telling a doctor, I feel uncomfortable.
10:34Afraid of pulling your pants down in front of a doctor.
10:36I'm afraid of, like, being examined by a doctor.
10:39It's very invasive.
10:40But to your point, being comfortable.
10:43And also, like, taking your time while being intentional about your care, I think is important as well.
10:50I think that I had to tell myself, like, I wanted to be cured tomorrow.
10:54Exactly.
10:54And you've got to be patient, as a patient.
10:57I'm like, I don't want to give no blood to nobody.
10:58I don't want to monitor no hormones.
10:59Just come on.
11:00Like, let's do it.
11:01What is happening?
11:02I think being in the marathon of it all helps.
11:05That's true.
11:06And the mindset.
11:07You know, there's a Malcolm X quote that I always like to tell people.
11:11I'm not Muslim, okay, but I do wear bow ties.
11:14Malcolm X quote, if you take the I from illness and switch it to a we, it turns illness into
11:23wellness.
11:25Visualize that.
11:26Take the I from illness, put a W and an E, that's we, turns it into wellness.
11:33So that means we have to do what we need to do every day to make sure that we take
11:38this illness and turn it into wellness.
11:40Now, I'm going to give you three things that you need to do today, okay, to change your outcome.
11:46All right.
11:47The first one, the very first one is brush your nasty teeth and change your nasty toothbrush.
11:59Some of y'all been having the same toothbrush since Don Cornelius was hosting Soul Train talking about this one's
12:07soft.
12:08I like this.
12:09It's some soft.
12:11I'm going to keep this one.
12:12No.
12:13Look at that.
12:14Look at that smile.
12:15Look at that smile.
12:16That man keeps his teeth brushed because you know if you don't, if you have dirty teeth, whether they're in
12:23your pocket or in your mouth, brush those too.
12:26Because some people got dentures in their pocket.
12:29Put them in your mouth, keep them washed.
12:32Your mouth has bacteria that can go to your heart and cause heart disease.
12:37You got to do that.
12:39Give me one that you want to change, that you tell people to change.
12:41Well, when you said take the eye from illness and turn it into a wee, I came up with one
12:47on top of my head.
12:48There you go.
12:48And if it's too corny, just laugh anyway.
12:51Nope.
12:52We laughing all the way.
12:53See, like, okay, and it's kind of deep.
12:55It's not really that deep.
12:56Okay, forget it.
12:56I'm going to just say it.
12:57So you know how you have cancer, right?
12:58Right.
12:59You change the C to a D, you have dancer, and you can just dance.
13:04No, no, don't dance.
13:05Okay, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
13:06Okay, okay.
13:07No, no, no, no.
13:08My bad.
13:09We'll skip this part.
13:10I thought about the Jackson movie.
13:11I thought about the Jackson movie.
13:13No, do your thing.
13:13I'm tripping.
13:14Yeah, yeah.
13:14I like that.
13:15No, seriously.
13:16If you can live life like you're dancing, always, it will make things better.
13:21It really would.
13:22Because it's joy.
13:23Nobody dances when they're mad.
13:25They dance when they're happy.
13:27What about this one?
13:30Decrease smoking today.
13:33That's crack, weed, and cigarettes.
13:40I'm just saying.
13:43Decrease smoking.
13:43Decrease smoking.
13:43I agree.
13:44I mean, look, if you're smoking a vape, I guarantee you in five years there's going
13:49to be a class action suit saying you're going to have cancer from vaping.
13:53I'm already doing the clinical trials right now.
13:55If you vape, you going to have cancer in five years.
13:58You might as well stop.
14:00You know what I mean?
14:02What advice would you give to someone who is not just afraid of going to the doctor,
14:08but maybe can afford it, maybe is worried about the cost?
14:11What would you say?
14:12Yeah, we have a very interesting government right now where everything is being taken from
14:17you.
14:17By the way, if you do not have a job making 80, working 80 hours per month starting in some
14:25states right now, but for sure January, your Medicaid will be taken.
14:3080 hours of verifiable income per month, you will not have Medicaid.
14:36You can even volunteer, but it's got to be voluntary.
14:39You can do voluntary, but it's got to be 80 hours a month.
14:41So I just want you to remember, okay?
14:43Please make sure that you get some insurance and see your doctor and love the doctor that
14:50you're going to because if you're not, you're not going to tell them everything.
14:53I think they're trying to wrap us up, but I got to leave you one more thing.
14:58Quit drinking.
15:00Some of y'all going to do something or somebody tonight that's going to cause you to go to
15:04jail or do something else by drinking too much alcohol.
15:09Please, no alcohol.
15:10How you want to leave?
15:11What you got to say?
15:11This is your show.
15:12Go to the doctor.
15:14Take a friend, phone a friend, phone a family member, go to the doctor.
15:17Make sure you are okay.
15:18We need you here.
15:19We love you.
15:20Thank you very much, my friend.
15:22Thank you, SS.
15:22Thanks for everybody coming out.
15:24Thank you, Swade.
15:26Bye, guys.
15:26Bye, guys.
15:26Bye, guys.
15:26Bye, guys.
15:27Bye.
15:28Bye.
15:30Bye.
15:30Bye.
15:32Bye.
15:35Bye.
15:41Bye.