Beloved Real Housewives of Atlanta star and celebrity hairstylist, Dwight Eubanks, 64, recently revealed to his fans and the public that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Although his diagnosis came as a shock to him, as he had no idea he had health issues, 30 years ago, Eubanks’ grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Still, he wasn’t aware of the possibility of being diagnosed with it. “It was shocking because I had no idea that there was a problem, and so when I was diagnosed, I was in denial, but we went back and did another test,” he said to ESSENCE. “A higher power has been preparing me for this moment, and so I’m prepared. When things happen, you have to sit back and reflect on them. And we’re in that moment. We’re there now. The message and mission are to help someone else along this journey and to guide them through it, because I could not have orchestrated this myself. I had no involvement in any of this. It’s all alignment and all purpose.”
The message and mission Eubanks is referring to is encouraging Black men to visit the doctor for their annual physical to prevent a similar diagnosis. Today, one in six Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. Approximately 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. However, Black men are 70% more likely to be diagnosed and twice as likely to die from it. Although Eubanks regularly went to his doctors for annual physicals and appointments, the topic of prostate cancer never came up. “What’s most disturbing for me and my situation is that we never had a conversation about prostate cancer, and I’ve been going to the doctors regularly, but that never came up. So when I found out that my PSA levels were high, I didn’t understand why,” he shared.
He first became aware that something might be amiss with his health in January, when Eubanks’ church hosted a health fair, and he decided to get blood work done. Later, his doctor called and told him to come in as soon as possible for a secondary test. He was later diagnosed with prostate cancer, despite feeling healthy and active, and received a follow-up prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test in April, which confirmed the diagnosis. While Eubanks is new to experiencing cancer, he has been diagnosed with HIV since the 1980s, so he makes a concerted effort to do routine checkups with his doctor every six months. However, after this recent diagnosis, his doctors reviewed past medical records and noticed that in 2022, he had high PSA levels that medical professionals didn’t address.
While frustrating for Eubanks, he’s relying on his staunch faith in God to heal and lead him through this journey and to guide his path to help others who may be experiencing a battle with prostate cancer. “I changed my diet and I got more centered with my faith and God and meditation and healing the inner in my inner soul first, and that’s what gives me so much peace. My grandfather was a minister, and my father was a minister, so I come from a Pentecostal Baptist background. As a result, my faith and my religion are very strong. I know God does not make mistakes, and nothing that I have done has been a mistake. Everything has a purpose,” he said.
When it comes to choosing his treatment options, he’s in good hands, as he’s working with medical professionals at Morehouse School of Medicine and other urologists and specialists, some of whom are his personal friends. As of now, Eubanks is deciding against surgery (removing the prostate), but is open to chemotherapy and radiation.
He also wants to encourage others to ask their community for help if they are ever experiencing a challenging medical diagnosis or crisis, as he wasn’t as forthcoming about his diagnosis with his friends and family. “I was not going to tell anybody. I could handle it, and I can deal with it. When I received the second test, I informed my close circle, which consisted of only two people, but I did not tell my family. I did not want to bother my family. You know, we just buried my grandmother in December. I did not have the courage to go to my family with my health. I have a niece who has had cancer since she was two, so I could not have that conversation with my family. I wasn’t ready. I told my family the day before I went public, I still didn’t want to tell them, but I knew that if it went public, somebody would have seen it on the news or the Internet, and that would have been more devastating,” he shared.
There has been one Real Housewives of Atlanta star who has consistently reached out to Eubanks, Phaedra Parks. Parks and Eubanks have been close for years on and off the television screen. “Phaedra has been calling me, and I have not answered the telephone because I’m not ready. I can’t have that conversation right now. This diagnosis is very new for me, and I can’t answer certain phone calls. Phaedra has been my friend. She has been my lawyer in the courtroom. And when I say she’s a beast, she is a beast in the courtroom, despite what people think she is. For me, she was a beast. We’ll have that conversation, but not yet.”
Naturally, this cancer diagnosis brought up various emotions for Eubanks: disbelief, grief, and unresolved trauma, but he’s working through it by deciding to use his pain for a purpose. He recently agreed to partner with ZERO Prostate Cancer (ZERO), the nation’s leading advocacy and support organization for prostate cancer awareness, as a brand ambassador. In Eubanks’ new role as a ZERO Brand Ambassador, he will help advocate for increased access to screenings and quality care, supporting ZERO’s current initiatives, such as Blitz the Barriers, which aims to save 100,000 lives by 2035 in communities hardest hit or most devastated by prostate cancer. “This is more than a media moment — it’s a movement,” said Courtney Bugler, president and CEO of ZERO Prostate Cancer. “Dwight’s voice and story will help to redefine how Black men talk about this devastating disease within their communities —removing the stigma, replacing fear with facts, and turning silence into survival.”
Eubanks is already making an impact within the organization. “The organization, ZERO Prostate Cancer, constantly reminds me that it is making a difference. And I saw that just from the Health Fair, the very first health fair we did, because I was that patient. I was that patient. I was hosting it, and I was the patient who gave them my blood. Had I not been there and done that, I still wouldn’t know my diagnosis. These health fairs and seminars work; people show up, and whether they’re comfortable or not, we have to make them feel at ease,” he stated.
In addition to continuing to conduct health fairs in Atlanta, Eubanks will be a featured speaker at ZERO Prostate Cancer’s Virtual Education and Support Summit June 3 – 5, as well as stand alongside other celebrities who are cancer awareness activists: Matthew Knowles and Ernie Johnson on September 8th at the Gathering Spot in Atlanta to honor National prostate cancer awareness, which include onsite screenings in partnership with the NFL Players Association.
Despite it all, Eubanks miraculously remains in good spirits and is optimistic about his future. “I have closed my circle even smaller. I’ve turned off the internet and the phone, and I’m just having some me time, including meditation and talking to the Lord. I’ve gone into my secret place. There’s a song that says, go up into the higher room and just go into the closet and have a conversation with God. And that has given me my strength,” he said.
Learn more about ZERO’s current initiatives, like Blitz the Barriers, here.