I DO NOT HAVE CANCER

“The tests have been done and today I’m pleased to announce that my doctors have pronounced me to be in good health,” he said.

“I have no ailment or symptoms that can prevent me conducting my duties.” His disclosure came as he made a statement and took questions from reporters at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news briefing at his St Clair, Port of Spain office to dismiss speculation arising from his recent visit to California, USA for a medical check-up.

Rowley criticised a speculative media report on his health by another newspaper, and he stoutly denied rumours that his relatives who had hosted his stay had once benefitted from corruption.

Rowley said he had openly announced his California visit and had never expected to see how excitably the visit was dealt with in TT during his absence. He said that for decades he has practised a “normal arrangement” of vacations and health checks-ups, cognisant of the high-rate of prostate cancer among men in this country, especially those of African descent.

An initial Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood-test for prostate cancer done in TT had revealed “something of interest” to his local doctors, which led him to go to California for further tests, which had ruled out prostate cancer.

“Depending on what your PSA score is, there is an upper limit and a lower limit. If your score is around the upper limit or crosses the upper limit it could be an indication that something unusual is happening. That’s what happened locally with me. I was in that area of the higher limit after a period of years being somewhere else. Therefore the responsible doctor decided that it needed to be looked at further to see what it may portend.” He hit those commentators who had pronounced on his condition even before the US test results were known.

Rowley at length urged TT men not to be too “macho” to do a prostate exam.

Regarding family, Newsday asked about his second son featured in a family-photo at an Emancipation dinner, and where he was before coming to the fore.

“He was with his mother. How many people in my family do you know? I have a large family, you know.” Asked how big his family is, and how many sons he has, Rowley replied, “Two (sons)”. Asked if he has any more daughters that the country may be introduced to at some time (in addition to Tonya and Sonnelle Rowley), a smiling Rowley replied, “Well, you never know”.

All present giggled. “No. Interestingly enough, again, that too is an area of interest to people. I’ve had a long life before I came into public life. I had two children before I was married and then I had two after I was married.

The second two were born after I came into public life.” Rowley came into public life in 1986 and his first daughter was born a year later.

“Again as prime minister, I expect there would be tidbits of interest, but it also supplies bile and venom to some people and that makes their day.”