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By ANDREW RODINE
Ironworkers Local 118 

I make my living as an ironworker. It is a physically demanding career that takes a serious toll on your body over time. When you work long hours on tough jobs, you learn to push through minor aches and pains. Like many of those in the trades, my personal healthcare routinely took a back seat to my work schedule.

I felt fine, so I did not think I needed to go to the doctor. In fact, I had avoided regular checkups for years due to a string of bad experiences with rushed providers. My philosophy was simple: If nothing is obviously broken, you do not try to fix it. That is the standard mindset on a job site. I learned the hard way that this way of thinking is dangerous.

A NEW BENEFIT
Last year, at age 50, I decided to check out a new benefit available through my union, Ironworkers Local 118. We have access to a Marathon Health clinic with free primary care. I figured it was our clinic, so I wanted to try it out. I originally went in for a minor, acute issue, expecting the usual fast-paced doctor visit. Instead, the experience completely surprised me. The care team actually listened. I was so impressed with the attention I received that I decided to go back for a full annual exam. That appointment changed everything.

My provider, Jill, took the time to sit down and talk with me. We went through my overall health history and symptoms without looking at the clock. Jill’s willingness to listen as I explained my history and concerns showed me how much she cared. We talked about my family history, which included prostate cancer. I also mentioned some minor urinary hesitancy I had been brushing off.

Because we had the time to dig into those details, Jill added a prostate-specific antigen blood test, or PSA, to my routine labs. She also talked to me straight about some unhealthy habits I needed to scale back. If I had been at a standard appointment, I never would have proactively requested a PSA screening.

STAGE 1 PROSTATE CANCER
The results came back showing my PSA levels were moderately high. That led to a urology referral and further testing. The biopsies confirmed it: I had stage 1 prostate cancer. It was in all 12 biopsy samples.

The diagnosis hit me hard. It was completely unexpected because I generally felt healthy. I realized then that feeling fine does not always mean nothing is wrong. But because we caught it early, my treatment options were excellent. Less than six months after that initial lab result, I underwent surgery to remove the cancer.

Today, there is no evidence of cancer. I am on the road to my best health and have dramatically decreased my unhealthy habits. I know exactly who to thank. If it weren’t for the clinic and Jill’s focus on my care, the cancer would not have been caught so early. If I hadn’t gone in when I did, I may not have found it until much later.

‘CHANGED HOW I VIEW PREVENTIVE HEALTHCARE’
Going through this changed how I view preventive healthcare. I know how my fellow ironworkers think. We delay care because we are busy, we want to avoid doctors or simply do not think we need checkups. Trust is a massive factor. We are more likely to use healthcare when it feels accessible, convenient and respectful.

Now, I make it my mission to tell the other guys not to wait. I want everybody to go to the clinic. I keep Jill’s clinic cards in my truck and pass them out to my coworkers all the time. Your health is the most important tool you bring to the job site. You just need to make the time to protect it.