Former Trinidad and Tobago national goalkeeper and ESPN analyst Neil “Shaka” Hislop has revealed that he has been battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer for the past year and a half.
In an emotional video posted to Instagram on Thursday, the 56-year-old told fans, “I have a story to tell,” before detailing the diagnosis that changed his life.
“Roughly 18 months ago, I went for my annual physical and insisted on a PSA test (a blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen, a protein made by prostate cells), as I always do. This time around, though, my PSA was elevated. An MRI and biopsy quickly determined that I had a fairly aggressive prostate cancer. A year ago, almost to the day, December 6 to be exact, I had a prostatectomy (radical surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland), and I thought that was it.
HISLOP FAMILY: Former T&T goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, left, with parents Eugenia and George Hislop.
“Then, six months later, my PSA was again on the rise, and another scan showed that my prostate cancer had spread to my pelvic bone.”
The beloved former Strike Squad goalkeeper, who now lives in the United States, said he started medication soon after and, as of this morning, completed seven and a half weeks of radiation therapy.
“The journey continues,” he said.
The 56-year-old, married father of five, also used the news of his diagnosis to encourage men in the Caribbean to get their PSA checked.
“The highest rate of prostate cancer mortality is in Caribbean men. So if you allow me to speak to my community, my people: Doctors recommend that all men over 50 get their PSA checked regularly. If you’re of African descent, the age drops to 40.”
Schoolboy star: Shaka Hislop
He added that having a family history of cancer does not matter.
“I had genetic testing done, and it showed no traits in my family yet. This year will show that, even without going into too much detail, even that didn’t exclude everybody in my immediate family.”
“Prostate cancer is survivable once caught early enough,” he said. “There are treatments for it. Testing saves lives. It saved mine.”
The video ended with Hislop ringing a bell at a medical facility. Ringing the bell is a ceremonial tradition that signifies the end of treatment and celebrates a patient’s victory over cancer.
