A WIFE'S PAIN OF HOPE

Hurnietha Delane Shahid lives her husband’s passion everyday.
         Hurnietha is the wife of Mellve Shahid Sr., founder and CEO of The Empowerment Network (TEN), a non-profit, prostate cancer advocacy and education organization Mellve founded following his bout with the disease that disproportionally impacts African-American males. Mellve is the six-year prostate cancer survivor.
        The organization he founded is his heart, his passion; he promised God that if he lived he would dedicate his life supporting other men and their families deal with prostate cancer.
         Mellve spends a lot of time doing the work of The Empowerment Network, and at the TEN Cancer Center, which is not too far from the couple's home. On occasions, Mellve wonders out loud why she doesn’t come by the center for a visit more often.

         “He doesn’t fully understand that he is the office. TEN is him. TEN is not just there, it’s here, too,” she said from the Shadid's relaxing living room.

         During the period in 2007 when Mellve was diagnosed with prostate cancer and the surgery and recovery that followed, she was not only his nurse, dealing with the very personal aspects of the disease, but the researcher, too. It was Hurnietha who inspired Mellve to develop the "After-Surgery Kit,"  a collection of personal items given to men upon their release from the hospital. She also was the inspiration behind the “blue ties” of TEN’s annual fund raising event, the Blue Tie Gala.  

         In 2006, a year before Mellve’s prostate cancer battle began, Hurnietha was diagnosed with lupus, a painful disease that impairs the body's immune system. Mellve’s mother died in the same year, too.

         “My prayer to God was to put the pain on me because I would be able to handle it better than him,” she said. “I didn’t feel sorry for him. But because of my love for him I didn’t want him to go through the pain.”

         As the work of TEN grows and becomes more demanding on her husband, Hurnietha acknowledges that there are lots of times when he’s “away from me, away from the bed that I would just have to say, ‘I see him later.’ ”

         “It can be overwhelming. Some days I don’t want prostate cancer to be talked about at all. But I’m proud of Mellve and I want him to keep going. It is his passion.”  

         Visit www.TheEmpowermentNetwork.net for more information on prostate cancer.

 

 

A journey of hope to help prostate cancer victims began with a promise to God

Mellve Shahid Sr., founder of
The Empowerment Network

A remarkable man on an incredible journey is delivering hope to men battling prostate cancer.

Mellve Shahid Sr., 58, is a prostate cancer survivor. Five years ago he was diagnosed with the disease that impacts African-American men at a much higher rate than white or Hispanic males. It is the second cause of cancer deaths in black men.

On the day of his surgery in March 2007, he asked God to heal his body, restore his health and give him a second chance. If God would do that for him, he said, he would spend the rest of his life in service to cancer victims.

“On Tuesday, March 6, 2012, I celebrated five years of being cancer free,” Mellve said. “So God has kept his promise, now it is time for me to keep mine.”

God healed him. Mellve is keeping his promise.

Four short years ago, Mellve launched The Empowerment Network, or TEN, a non-profit prostate cancer advocacy organization that works to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable African-American men, age 35+.

Black males are 60% more likely than other ethnic groups in the U.S to be diagnosed with prostate cancer - and are 2 1/2 times more likely to die from the disease. TEN provides support, awareness, education and health resources to these men and their families. TEN enriches lives by using the power of the private and public sector to provide services to these neediest of men.

During a recent prostate cancer support group meeting that is part of The Empowerment Network, a prostate cancer victim stood up and openly talked about the impact of the disease in his life. The pain in the man’s voice echoed the hurt in his body from dealing with the disheartening side effects of post radiation treatment. The man boldly shared the personal details about his male bodily functions to about 50 meeting at the meeting.

“The men that you saw in the room today are just some of the many men in the St. Louis area that have battled this disease called prostate cancer,” Mellve said. “I have over 200 cancer survivors who need my help and they come from all walks of life.”

Along with a team of prostate cancer survivors, Mellve makes it a point to visit men in hospitals who are suffering from the disease. Unfortunately, he has seen death. He recalled how one patient he visited shared with him how Mellve’s support gave him strength to make it as far as he has. The man died the next morning.

Mellve is always calling men up to see how they are doing, and if he can do anything for them. He reaches out to family members, too.

“I just a brother who was diagnosed with the disease and given two years to live and decided to make a deal with God. The deal that I made is called a covenant, a pledge, or a divine oath. I begged for my life on the operating table and made a deal with the Creator.

“All I want to do is to keep my promise to God. I’m not looking for praise or awards. I just want to be a helper and a humble servant to those who need my help.”

The Empowerment Network along with BJK People’s Health Center’s is presenting a Prostate Testing Day, Sunday, April 29 at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 5515 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr., St. Louis, MO 63112. The screen is free and open to all men. The PSA screening takes less than 10 minutes.

For more information about the Prostate Testing Day, see press release, or call 314. 385.0998. For additional information about prostate cancer, visit http://www.theempowermentnetwork.net/.