Opelousas Musician’s Cancer Story Makes National Headlines
An Opelousas musician’s incredible health story is now getting national attention. Wayne Singleton was just 33, felt healthy and had no symptoms when a routine doctor visit led to a test that ultimately revealed prostate cancer. Now, years later, he is using his platform to encourage others to take their health seriously.
Opelousas Musician Shares His Story With National Audience
An Acadiana musician is making national headlines after sharing the story of a routine doctor visit that led to a potentially life-saving discovery.
Joseph Wayne Singleton, an Opelousas musician and frontman of The Urban Kreyol Band, recently spoke with Fox News Digital about being diagnosed with prostate cancer when he was just 33 years old.
Today, Singleton is 45. But more than a decade ago, he said he had no symptoms and no reason to believe anything was wrong. In fact, he went to the doctor expecting to prove just the opposite. )
Singleton told Fox News that his wife encouraged him to get a more thorough physical. While he already received annual exams for his commercial driver's license, she believed he needed a more comprehensive checkup.
He went in thinking the appointment would simply confirm he was healthy.
Instead, it changed his life.
Blood Test Revealed Something Was Wrong
According to Singleton, his doctor decided to order a prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, blood test even though Singleton was much younger than the age when routine prostate cancer screening is generally discussed.
The results showed extremely elevated PSA levels. A biopsy later confirmed that Singleton had prostate cancer. He said the diagnosis was completely unexpected because he had experienced no symptoms.
Singleton was treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and underwent surgery to remove his prostate.
His recovery was remarkably quick. Singleton told Fox News that within weeks of surgery, he was once again traveling across the country and performing with his band.
Singleton Now Hopes His Story Can Help Others
More than a decade after his diagnosis, Singleton says the experience has given him another purpose for the platform he has built through music.
He now hopes sharing his story will encourage people to have conversations with their doctors about their health and appropriate cancer screening.
Singleton said people from around the country have contacted him after hearing his story, and he believes his experience could potentially help someone else discover a problem before it becomes more serious.
His story is particularly unusual because prostate cancer is uncommon in men younger than 40. Fox News reported that current screening recommendations vary based on factors including age, family history and individual risk. Higher-risk patients may be advised to begin discussions about screening earlier.
A Louisiana Story With A Powerful Reminder
For people across Acadiana who know Singleton through his music, the national attention puts a familiar Louisiana face on a health issue that affects families across the country.
Singleton's experience also highlights something that makes his story especially striking: He wasn't experiencing warning signs that sent him rushing to a doctor's office.
He felt healthy.
A routine appointment and an unexpected blood test uncovered something he never knew was there.
More than a decade later, the Opelousas musician is still performing, traveling and now sharing his story with a much larger audience in hopes that what happened to him might encourage someone else to start an important conversation with their own doctor,
