Cary mayor vows to beat prostate cancer

Don't go crying for Cary Mayor Steve Lamal.

Sure, he's in the midst of battling prostate cancer, but he said he doesn't want anybody feeling sorry for him or sending get-well cards.

"I'm not near death," he said, sounding cheerful and upbeat Wednesday on his way back from the University of Chicago Hospital. "I'm doing fine, actually."

Lamal will undergo surgery June 4 in the hospital's Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine to remove his prostate, hopefully taking the cancer with it.

Wednesday, he visited the hospital to get ready for "kick off time" -- the day of his surgery.

With the announcement that he has prostate cancer, Lamal becomes the latest Cary official to take time off for medical reasons.

The first was police Chief Ron Delelio, who has been out of work since February recovering from injuries he says occurred after falling down a series of steps inside the police station.

Deputy Chief Ed Fetzer is running the department in his place.

In Lamal's absence, President pro tem Deb McNamee is overseeing the village.

The six-year mayor discovered something was off in April when, at his wife Kathy's urging, he took a blood test that showed elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen, a signal that it was time for a prostate exam.

A series of biopsies followed and doctors determined that Lamal, who began his service on the village board as a trustee in 1994, had prostate cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer, the most common form affecting men behind skin cancer, accounts for about 9 percent of cancer-related deaths in men.

One out of six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his life -- locally, Elgin Mayor Ed Schock was treated for prostate cancer two years ago.

Lamal, the father of three daughters, says that when it comes to beating the disease, the stars are aligned in his favor.

Not only is the University of Chicago's cancer program ranked seventh in the nation last year, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey, but his doctors also will use robotic technology to guide them through his operation.

Lamal, a surgical supply vendor, sells the device, known as the Da Vinci Robot, and is intimately aware of its abilities.

"I have a great surgeon, in arguably one of the finest institutions in the nation and I've got my own technology working for me as well," he said.

The grandfather of two estimates he'll spend two to four weeks recovering, but will return to his day job within five days, taking it easy by spending the bulk of his time working from home.

While he recuperates, the avid golfer will be required to limit his physical activity.

That means leaving his 9-iron home the entire month of June.

"My partners are probably celebrating," he joked.

While Lamal expects to miss the June board meeting -- the fourth he will have missed in his 14 years on the board -- he says he'll be ready to resume his public schedule the following month.

"On the Fourth of July, I'll be out there celebrating with everyone else," he said. "I'm 59, so I'm looking forward to the next half of my life."