Published Aug 11, 2021

TV Host and Musician John Tesh, 69, Leaned on His Faith During Prostate Cancer Battle; Do Prayers Help the Cancer Journey?

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Tesh's Faith Through Prostate Cancer

John Tesh, 69, was diagnosed with a rare form of prostate cancer in 2015 and he was told he only had 18 months to live.
Prostate cancer is typically detected via a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, which looks for signs of PSA in the blood; men with elevated risk (i.e. a family history of prostate cancer) should begin screening at age 45.
For some people, faith and prayer is an important part of their cancer journey; Tesh says his faith helped him through cancer.

TV host and pianist John Tesh, 69, was diagnosed with a rare kind of prostate cancer in 2015 and was told he had 18 months to live; he beat cancer and in a new interview shares how his faith played a part in his cancer battle.

In a recent interview with FOX News, Tesh recounts how he felt after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. “Two things went through my mind,” says Tesh. “One was, well, I’m 63 years old, I’ve done a bunch of stuff. I guess this is it.”

“Let’s make plans for somebody else to take over my job and let’s make sure everybody’s taken care of with insurance and all the rest of that,” says Tesh. “So, right away I became a cancer patient. Basically, I just received the diagnosis and the disease, which I don’t recommend. In Proverbs 18:21, it says, ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue.'”

In Tesh’s memoir, Relentless: Unleashing a Life of Purpose, Grit, and Faith, he explains how faith played a part in his healing.

Tesh had chemotherapy, as well as androgen deprivation therapy. Tesh explains the therapy, saying, “They take the testosterone out of your body, which basically gives you male menopause. Then I had two major surgeries and I had complications from those surgeries.”

We’re so glad that Tesh beat his prognosis and is now, officially, a cancer survivor and thriver.

Detecting Prostate Cancer

This year, approximately 248,530 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Most diagnoses are the result of the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test.

Stanford Medicine's Dr. James Brooks, a urologic oncologist, says in an earlier interview that men should begin screening for the disease at 55. "Current guidelines are to start screening at age 55 and continue screening through age 70," he says.

"The reason for that is prostate cancer diagnosed after age 70 has a reasonably low probability it's going to take your life because prostate cancer, even in its aggressive forms, when it's localized is a relatively slow-growing cancer," says Dr. Brooks. "Men who are at high risk because of family history should have PSA testing earlier," he adds.

According to the American Cancer Society, men with elevated risk should begin screening at age 45. This includes African Americans and men who have a first-degree relative (father or brother) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65).

Considering Chemotherapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer

Leaning on Faith Through Cancer

Tesh credits his wife with helping him overcome his cancer battle by leaning on faith. He says, “I was a terrible, terrible patient and the only reason I was able to get out of that was my wife who not only was my advocate but also helped introduce me to some powerful scriptures that when I manifested those and when I got the revelation of those, I knew I could get healed.”

For many people, like Tesh, faith can be a powerful component during the cancer battle. Tesh said that the Bible, in particular, offered him much comfort. He says, “The cancer kept coming back and it kept ending up in my lymph nodes… [My wife and I] learned about one scripture in particular, Mark 11:23 which says, ‘Whoever says to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will be done shall have whatever he says.'”

“Therefore, whatever you ask when you pray, believe that you’ll receive it and you will have it,” says Tesh, who received the healing he prayed for.

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