‘A silent killer’: Lowcountry business owner brings attention to prostate cancer

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – One Berkeley County survivor says he wants to raise awareness after three months of battling a type of cancer many do not speak about.

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the United States, only topped by skin cancer.

Yet, as common as this type of cancer is, it is rarely spoken about. Symptoms of prostate cancer often go undetected, leading to a surprise diagnosis.

This was the case for Grant Dalling.

Dalling is a Lowcountry resident and small-business owner. He, alongside his wife, Jennifer, owns the Rustic Muffin, a very successful coffee shop and bakery with locations in Summerville and Moncks Corner. For the past seven years, the couple have spent their days running the Rustic Muffin and connecting with their community.

Three months ago, though, Dalling’s life took an unexpected turn:

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

With essentially no symptoms, this diagnosis came as a complete shock to Dalling. At the age of 64, it was the first time he had ever been tested.

His wife still remembers the moment they found out.

She says, in the moment, they were thinking, “It’s OK, everything’s going to be good.”

“You go to the doctor, and they say ‘Well, you have cancer.’ We both looked at each other like, ‘What?’ Then, at that moment you think about the process – what goes through his head, what as a family we are going to deal with,” Dalling’s wife says. “Then, we leave there, and you go, ‘Now what about our business? What about every day?’”

As small-business owners, the Dalling’s cannot just take paid time off or skip a day of work.

Grant Dalling says, as an owner, he felt a need to lead by example.

While trying to balance doctor’s appointments with work was difficult, having the Rustic Muffin is what he says got him through.

“I never skipped a beat. I had to take a 20-minute nap one day. I was exhausted because that’s what they say radiation does to you, but other than that I was never late for work I never missed work,” Dalling says. “For me, the work kept me busy and kept my mind off things.”

Dalling has since completed his radiation treatment and is continuing to be monitored; however, the news of his diagnosis was so unexpected that he now wants to encourage all men to get screened for prostate cancer with what is called a Prostate-Specific Antigen blood test.

“Ask them to do a PSA; no one ever did with me,” he says. “Ask them to do that when they do your blood work, because it’s kind of like a silent killer. If you don’t know, you never get it tested. Next thing you know, it’s invaded other areas of your body.”

Trident Cancer Center oncologist Dr. Vincent Grzywacz also emphasized the importance of getting screened, as prostate cancer numbers have been rising in the last 10 years.

“You really should do your best to work with your primary care provider and try to stay on top of your cancer screening, even though it can be a scary thing to talk about and to worry about. And some patients, you know, put off screening because they’re worried about what they might find. But you know, speaking from experience, you know, the earlier you catch something scary, the more treatable it is, and with fewer side effects,” Grzywacz says.

Grzywacz was the doctor who treated Dalling and says that he always showed up with baked goods and a smile on his face, and his positive mindset through it all helped him persevere.

Dalling says that all of this really changed his perspective on life and he wants to inspire others to never give up.

“I’m very lucky, you know, the word scares you, but you got to fight it, that’s all. That’s it, to the best you can,” he says.

“It’s a lot of the unknown. But we have a lot of support, thankfully,” his wife says. “Hopefully, he’s in a better place now, we will see. But I think the radiation and treatment did what it was supposed to do.”

The Dalling family plans to hold fundraisers for men with prostate cancer in the future. They hope to spread awareness the same way breast cancer and other common illnesses are talked about in hopes of encouraging other men to get tested and catch this silent killer early.

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