Senator Johnson Highlights Prostate Cancer Battle, Stresses Importance of Annual Screening

Recounting his radiation treatments and cancer-free diagnosis, Johnson vowed to advocate for awareness and early detection, urging men over 40 to prioritize their health with simple PSA tests.

When it came his turn to speak, during the first sitting of the 36th Legislature, Senator Franklin Johnson elected to share with the territory his personal triumph last year over an often-terrifying illness – prostate cancer. After presenting his mother and partner with a bouquet of flowers each, Mr. Johnson played a video message for those watching in person and online. “On May 21st [2024] I was diagnosed with prostate cancer,” he began, recounting how prior to that moment, he and his doctor had been monitoring the increasing numbers on his PSA test results. Following the diagnosis came a series of medical appointments for various scans, tests and second opinions, until a treatment plan was developed with oncologists at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida.

The decision was made to deliver targeted radiotherapy with the use of two small devices Mr. Johnson referred to as “rice grains” implanted into his prostate. In the procedure, which took place in mid-November, a gel barrier between prostate and bowel was also put in place, to ensure that the ensuing radiation treatment would not damage other internal organs. Once the devices were in place, Johnson was then required to undergo a series of 20 radiation treatments throughout the month of December. “There was no kind of reaction to my body, everything was done very well,” he recounted. On the last day of the year, and of his treatment regimen, the lawmaker walked out to a virtual family gathering, with loved ones watching online as he “rang the bell,” signaling a cancer-free diagnosis.