MOULTRIE. Ga. _ Let’s be serious for a moment.

Recently I overheard a conversation where one man told another man that he didn’t go to doctors. At the moment he was suffering some discomfort from an ailment and said he was taking various herb concoctions that he had read about, and he said he feels like he is getting better.

I started to interject my opinion but I backed off, realizing that I would likely be talking to a stone wall. Sometimes you can just sense those things.

In the past couple of years I’ve made it sort of a mission to encourage people to get annual physicals, and if they have suspicions of health issues of any kind,  to get the issues checked out by a qualified physician. And I would strongly urge anyone to not rely on “root doctors” to recommend treatments for anything beyond a rash. Maybe I was wrong not to speak up at that moment.

Now I’m not saying that some “folk remedies” don’t have their places in making one feel better, but I would not bet my life on herbs and ointments. And just because you feel good, doesn’t mean there’s nothing lurking in the shadows to bring you down hard. I know about that first-hand.

On Sept. 9 of this year, I celebrated my first anniversary of having had a blood stem cell transplant. In early 2017 I was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer called amyloidosis. I had never heard of it. And I wasn’t even feeling sick. In fact I had just worked out at the gym and had gone for my annual prostate exam when an abnormality was discovered — too much protein caused by cancer cells in my blood.

I was the first diagnosis of amyloidosis for the young nephrologist who delivered the bad news. The diagnosis was confirmed at Mayo Clinic, and my transplant team was somewhat surprised that I appeared in such good shape.

“Most of my amyloidosis patients come to me in wheelchairs carrying oxygen tanks,” my hematologist said.

And this is because this cancer is often difficult to diagnose. The few people who get it are sometimes misdiagnosed or diagnosed late after suffering organ damage. I was fortunate. After three days of testing I was told I had no significant organ damage and was immediately placed into transplant protocol.

Of course there are no guarantees in any of these procedures. Basically you are told your options. You pick the one you and your doctors feel are the most viable and then you roll the dice.

Now had I not gone for annual physicals and prostate exams, I might not even be here now. Advanced amyloidosis can attack any one or all of the vital organs as well as the central nervous system.

Medical research has come a long way in the past decade. It’s advancing by leaps and bounds. Some of the things they are doing is mind boggling to us laymen. And a vital factor in successful treatment is early detection.

As well, I can attest that staying in as good physical shape as possible is to one’s advantage. Even on our best day, we are a fragile, vulnerable lot. Many things can happen that we cannot control. However, we can certainly help our odds in many instances.

Will this cancer return? I don’t know.  I’m just one among many who have been dealt this hand to play. I just know that I’m still in the game. And each day is special to me.

Now I’ve never been high on New Year’s resolutions. But if you  haven’t already, let me advise you to resolve to get annual physicals. It’s a viable resolution that might be ranked above many others. Don’t take good health for granted.

It’s really gut wrenching to hear your name and the word “cancer” in the same sentence. Resolve please!

(Email: dwain.walden@gaflnews.com)