The passing of a friend, Harry Pinchot.

Over the years I have only attended a few funerals. One for each for my parents, my older sister Julia, an old high school friend Freddy Harris, my karate instructor Ed Parker, a few co-workers, and there have been some Aunts and Uncles, as well as parents of friends. Not too many.

This past week a man that was a teacher, a mentor, a guide, a motivator and a fellow Prostate Cancer fighter lost his battle. His name is Harry Pinchot. It’s possible you have not heard of him but he is a hero. His life revolved around getting attention for PC and giving advice to many of us that are battling it.

About 2 years ago my dentist suggested I meet one of her patients. She felt that since we both had PC, a Prostatectomy and were about the same age that we had a lot in common. His name is Bob and he suggested we meet at a Prostate Cancer Group meeting held in Marina del Rey. That’s when I was introduced to Harry Pinchot. He ran the PCG meetings with a lot of command. Each meeting was similar in that we would spent about two hours going around a large square table, getting to know the guests and talking with the regulars. Harry would freely give advice about who a member had to see for treatments, or who to contact for a particular specialty. He was a walking, talking Encyclopedia. We also had guest speakers during the last half.

A few months back, at one of the meetings, Harry mentioned he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments and shared with us what he was going through. Fortunately he was able to get through the meetings but you could tell he was in pain and not doing well. Then one of the member stepped in for a few meetings and shared how Harry was doing. Then the news came that Harry had passed. I was in shock. How could Harry not be able to beat his cancer? He knows everybody. He knows everything. NO WAY!!!

Harry, our leader is gone and so is his pain and suffering. You can read his tribute at http://www.prostate-cancer.org, and then click on “See Tribute to Harry”. I was reminded while reading it that there were many things that we learned from him. Too many for this blog, but there are a few worth repeating. Be PRO-ACTIVE. You control your own destiny; you make the decisions, not your doctor, not your wife. Another was to stay as healthy as you can. So control your weight, exercise, keep fit and watch what you eat. He basically professed a vegetarian diet.

Harry was always trying to get attention for prostate cancer. He said women get attention for breast cancer and AIDS patients get attention for their cause but men are not very vocal about this disease and that’s why there isn’t a lot of money being thrown at it to find a cure. He also said men should find a good Urologist that they can trust. It’s the same as our wife having an OBGYN to assist them in their decisions. Both are equally valuable to our longevity.

His Memorial services are scheduled for 10:30 A.M. on Friday 23^rd. I plan to attend and give thanks to a friend that lost his fight against PC.