Diagnosed at 35: What I’ve Learned About Prostate Cancer, Lifestyle & Men’s Health
Fifteen years on Active Surveillance — and lessons that could help you or someone you love.
Fifteen years ago, at age 35, I heard the words no man expects: You have prostate cancer.
I had no symptoms. I didn’t even know what a PSA was. I had gone to see a urologist at Baylor College of Medicine to have my testosterone checked. A PSA test was ordered. A biopsy followed. Then came the diagnosis.
At the time, prostate cancer was considered an older man’s disease. The median age at diagnosis was 66, and it was rarely discussed among men in their 30s or 40s. I was stunned. I didn’t feel sick. I was young. And I had a lot of questions.
The next urologist I saw — also at Baylor — recommended surgery. When I learned the side effects could include incontinence and impotence, I paused. I needed more answers before making a life-altering decision.
Over the next several months, I sought out additional opinions. I met with urologists at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and other leading cancer centers.
Not long after visiting MD Anderson, I received a call from a nurse at another one of the nation’s top cancer centers. She said my pathology had been misread and that I didn’t have prostate cancer after all. For a moment I felt overwhelming relief — until I learned days later they were mistaken. I did have prostate cancer. That kind of mix-up was careless — and I was furious. It made me realize just how important it is to keep asking questions and pushing for clear answers, even when you’re at one of the nation’s top cancer centers. Mistakes like that can have life-changing consequences.
I continued seeking opinions at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and Columbia University Medical Center’s Center for Holistic Urology, also in New York. Each visit gave me a new perspective — and deeper insight into just how complex this disease really is.
One of those doctors, Dr. Aaron Katz, then at Columbia, introduced something I hadn’t heard before: Active Holistic Surveillance. It was a protocol that combined careful monitoring with major lifestyle changes. He was also the first to ask, “What’s your diet?” That question changed everything.
Not long after that visit, I was invited to attend a national prostate cancer summit in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of advocates, doctors, researchers, and industry reps gathered. The experience was eye-opening — not once was diet or lifestyle mentioned. There was no talk about prevention. No discussion of how this disease could impact younger men like me.
That moment lit the fire that led to everything I’ve done since. At the time, I owned a marketing and public relations firm, where I prepared clients for media interviews, led campaigns, and shaped public narratives. With a life-altering diagnosis of my own and a growing realization of the widespread lack of awareness and education around prevention, early detection, and lifestyle choices—especially among younger men, including Hispanic men like me, who often aren’t being reached—I knew I had to use those same skills to speak up, shift the conversation, and help others like me.
In the months that followed, I traveled to the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland — the nation’s leading cancer research institution — where I participated in a clinical trial focused on prostate cancer imaging. I also underwent exams and was told I was still a candidate for Active Surveillance. No surgery. No radiation. Just continued monitoring. I stayed committed to the lifestyle changes I had already begun.
That same year — 2010 — I started a nonprofit called Blue Cure. What began as my personal search for answers grew into a mission to raise awareness, reach younger men in their 30s and 40s, and challenge the idea that prostate cancer is only an “older man’s disease.”
I also wanted to dig deeper into how diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices might influence progression and outcomes — and why those conversations were missing from mainstream awareness. And I wanted to reach the men often left out of the conversation, especially in communities with higher risk and lower access to early detection.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve traveled the country, spoken with thousands of men and their loved ones, launched awareness tours, written articles, published a book, and listened to stories from patients at every stage.
And I’m still on Active Surveillance. Fifteen years. No surgery. No radiation. No hormone therapy. Just careful monitoring — and a lifestyle I’ve committed to improving every year.
Why This Newsletter
It Starts With Lifestyle: Prostate Cancer & Men’s Health is a place for men with prostate cancer — especially those on Active Surveillance or newly diagnosed — to find insights, support, and tools that may help slow progression, improve treatment outcomes, and live better.
As someone living with prostate cancer for 15 years with no progression, I’ll share what I’ve learned from leading urologists, oncologists, and researchers — many of whom I’ve interviewed on the Blue Cure Men’s Health Podcast — along with stories from fellow patients and advocates.
We’ll explore how nutrition, exercise, sleep, and environmental exposures can influence cancer progression and long-term outcomes.
But we won’t stop there. This newsletter also addresses broader issues affecting men’s health — from heart disease to mental health, from low testosterone to high blood pressure and chronic inflammation — and how lifestyle choices, policy, and prevention can make a real difference.
Together, we’ll tackle the gaps in screening, disparities in care, the mental toll of diagnosis, and the ways our healthcare systems and policies shape access, equity, and survivorship.
Because it doesn’t just start with a diagnosis — it starts with awareness, advocacy, and lifestyle. While lifestyle isn’t a guarantee of prevention or cure, it can be a powerful tool in navigating a diagnosis and supporting long-term health. This newsletter is here to help you make sense of what comes next — with facts, support, and no industry filter.
What to Expect
• One clear, high-impact post each week
• Interviews, insights, and patient stories
• Tools for prevention, survivorship, and advocacy
• Deep dives on diet, stress, toxins, and lifestyle risk
• A place to learn, take action, and share your story
I’m Glad You’re Here
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, supporting someone who is, or simply focused on living a healthier, more informed life — you’re in the right place. I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve spent the past 15 years asking hard questions, learning from experts, and living this firsthand.
Subscribe now to follow along. It’s free — and always will be for those who need it. Down the road, I may offer more in-depth content or extras, but the main newsletter will remain free and open to all.
Share this with a friend, loved one, or your doctor. That’s how this grows.
Drop me a message or comment. I’d truly like to hear your story too.
This is just the beginning. We’re building something together — and I’m grateful to have you here.
— Gabe
Blue Cure, the nonprofit I founded in 2010, depends on supporters like you to keep this mission going. Even a small, tax-deductible donation helps us reach more men — including those often overlooked — with life-changing information about prevention, survivorship, and healthier living.
Make a donation here ↗
This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your doctor for guidance on your specific situation.