Barry Bostwick is a long way from his Tony nominated role as
the legendary "Danny Zuko" in the original Broadway production of Grease.
He shed his sideburns and tight jeans, as well as his comb, to become the
stately, good natured, well dressed, well intentioned Mayor Randall Winston on
the hit television series Spin City. He gets laughs playing an inept New York
City mayor incapable of handling a crisis.
But off the set, Barry Bostwick successfully handled a real
crisis with character and courage--prostate cancer. "When I was first diagnosed,
the entire issue of cancer was new to me," says Barry Bostwick, who also starred
in the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show. "I didn't have family members
who'd dealt with this before me, and initially I was scared to death." The
medical team decided the best course of action in this case was to remove the
prostate. The operation was performed in July of 1997. "There's a lot of second
guessing for patients when it comes to treatment options for this disease," says
Barry Bostwick. "Sometimes I still wonder if the surgical option was absolutely
necessary in my case, but you never know. With a wife and children, I have no
reason to want to gamble with my life." Barry Bostwick understands that many men
avoid screening for prostate cancer because of real or imagined fears of the
side effects of treatment.
Barry Bostwick has been very outspoken about his bout with
prostate cancer. On behalf of the American Cancer Society, President Clinton
presented Barry Bostwick with the "Courage Award" in recognition of his
determination to reach others about the importance of early detection.
