How long as it been since you’ve flown?

At least 9 years. I’ll choose any other route to get somewhere.

What is it about flying that makes you nervous?

I know this doesn’t make any sense, but just the claustrophobic-ness, not being able to get out. And being on the ground feels safe to me. I don’t necessarily know how it stays up in the air – that big of a thing! You know, it’s like if someone is afraid of a bug. For me it’s heights and claustrophobia.

How did you decide that this was the time that you’re going to fly and conquer that fear?

Bin Mclaurin and Ashley Myers-Turner in New Delhi, India

Well, when you think of the whole trip and what it’s about – it’s A Fresh Chapter, a change. The purpose of this is to find a new way of living after cancer. So for me, it was like, “Ok, challenge yourself. Put yourself out there. You’re dealing with cancer and that’s unexpected. If you can deal with that, you can deal with anything.” So I think that was the challenge for me. And – it’s volunteering in India! So it’s being a volunteer, being there for someone else, finding a way to be bigger than your regular everyday life.

I think what helped me at least address that fear was partnering with someone who did know about it, and asking them questions about layovers, the transfer, choosing my seat, just talking it through with Terri. I was asking about the process being at the airport, and she was really helpful explaining visually what that would look like, because for me, on paper, my mind can go anywhere!

But she put my mind at ease, especially knowing that someone was going to be there to meet me and I wouldn’t have to navigate that. So, being in good hands was the part that made me feel more comfortable. Knowing that someone is taking care of me.

And now you’re working on a non-profit to help support other men who are dealing with health difficulties. Can you tell me more about the non-profit?

Yeah, it’s for men’s cancer support as well as men’s health awareness. I found that being a patient, as well as being a cancer survivor, that there’s a real disparity in the services for men versus women in terms of cancer support. Then when you do go to the support programs that are out there, it’s mostly women who are attending. So I think there’s a break down on both ends. I think the services that are provided are minimal, and I think that the men are just not participating.

And I’m wondering, as a man, what is the hurdle? What don’t we participate? In my mind, I always affiliated cancer support as like, just a lot of women talking about their feelings. I know! That’s a bad broad brush. But men are kind of socialized to stay away from that: “Don’t talk about your feelings! Stop crying!” That has kept men stoic about their health.

Photo courtesy of Bin Mclaurin

In my case, part of what I do here at Cedars is research. The clinical study I’m working on right now has discovered that African American men are the highest at risk for high blood pressure and the least likely to get screened. I was out in the community in Los Angeles talking to guys about taking care of their health and getting screened for hypertension. The earlier you get [screened], the better it is for your out come so you can get treated.

In doing so, I kind of challenged myself. “Hey Bin, you haven’t been to your own physical!” I hadn’t been in seven years. And when I decided to do that, they found cancer. I felt so blessed that we caught it in the early stages.

So that really set me on my course to being an advocate for mens’ health. I’m starting a non-profit called MACHO – Men Actively Creating Healthy Outcomes. Macho used to mean be stoic, be manly, be reserved; you can take on the world and you don’t need anyone to take care of you. But unfortunately that will kill you if you keep that mentality and don’t take care of your health as a man. So it’s specifically to get the word out and challenge men to take better care of their health. Give them tools. The website will have a place where they can pledge to visit your physician in 2016. That’s worked really well in other countries. In Canada 5800 men pledged, and we don’t know how many men actually followed through, but they have the awareness. And then there’s also a challenge survey – if they answer these 10 questions, it will give them a better idea of what they need to get screened for. And there’s also a component where we’re going to partner with A Fresh Chapter so I can bring other men into this

Have you been impacted by cancer and want to turn the page to the next chapter in your story? Whether you’re a patient, survivor, or caregiver, we’re happy to have you in our tribe. If you’re new to A Fresh Chapter, sign up here to be the first to know about our 2018 domestic and international programs: Become A Participant.