Jairo Álvarez-Botero – Signature

One look at his construction company office walls, festooned as they are with thank-you letters and competitive cycling medals, and you know Jairo Álvarez-Botero is a man of accomplishment.

A Colombian immigrant who started with nothing but built a thriving construction company in Baton Rouge, Álvarez was diagnosed six years ago with the “silent killer”—prostate cancer.

He dove into treatment and recovery with the same zeal that characterized his time serving as an officer in Colombia’s elite presidential guard, competitive cycling and the creation of his company in Baton Rouge, Álvarez Construction Co.

He fought and recovered from his cancer, and along the way learned that many men often miss the chance at early detection, which can be fatal. So, with typical Álvarez gusto, he decided to write and self-publish a book about his own experiences in the hopes of saving other men from succumbing to prostate cancer unnecessarily.

“I believe that no man should die from prostate cancer with early enough detection and the proper procedures,” Álvarez says.

His book, Cancer: A Message of Hope, encourages men with prostate cancer to face their diagnosis and treatment options. It’s his second book: he’s also written an autobiography.

“My books have allowed me to travel a lot, spreading my knowledge about prostate cancer and motivating men everywhere to learn more about it and early detection,” he says. “I found more and more men who had obtained garbage [information] about prostate cancer. It was just shocking!”

Álvarez tries to dispel such hoopla with solid information and advice: don’t wait until you turn 50 to have a prostate exam; cycling or infidelity do not cause cancer; and don’t assume radical surgery will result in erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence.

Álvarez is donating proceeds from his book to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Cancer: A Message of Hope is available at amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.