On June 10, Shaka Hislop and his wife, Desha, celebrated 31 years of marriage. They marked the milestone occasion by taking pictures in their original wedding attire from three decades ago, right in their backyard. “I can’t tell you how hard we laughed,” Shaka said. Those photos meant even more for the legendary former national World Cup goalkeeper after what he’d been through. Just two years earlier, a prostate cancer diagnosis had completely blindsided him and his entire family.
‘I’m in for a fight’
Shaka spent his life at the peak of physical fitness, guarding the nets for English Premier League clubs like West Ham and Newcastle and anchoring the Soca Warriors’ historic 2006 World Cup run. Good health for the ESPN analyst was simply a given. What made it even harder to believe? He had zero family history of the condition, confirmed by genetic testing.
His first thought when a medical screening in early 2024 showed he had cancer was “‘I’m in for a fight; put on your gloves now, let’s go!’ I had to do whatever was needed for me to battle the disease and that was my whole mindset,” he told WE Life and Culture in his first newspaper interview discussing his ordeal.
A routine blood test back in April 2024 during a full medical check-up pointed to an increase in his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. He recalled, “It had been creeping up very slightly over the years, but it was always in the normal range, and is a normal part of ageing. There was a spike between 2023 and 2024. I saw a urologist and later got an MRI. When I got to see my urologist again in July, it showed a high possibility that there was cancer in my prostate. I had a biopsy in November and it revealed it was cancer, fairly aggressive, with a Gleason score of nine.”
On December 6, 2024, Shaka underwent a radical prostatectomy. Just six months later, follow-up scans confirmed the cancer had already spread to his pelvic bone and one lymph node. “I was on medication to suppress my testosterone since cancer feeds off testosterone. And I started seven and a half weeks of radiation therapy.”
The strength
to be vulnerable
One of Shaka’s biggest battles was breaking the news to his family. While he immediately told his wife, as a father of five, he struggled with how to tell his children, especially since his father-in-law died of the disease. He also worried about the impact the diagnosis would have on his mom, saying, “That for me was one of the toughest things I had to do.”
But Shaka, who publicly shared his story with fans via Instagram in June 2025, was reminded he was not in the fight alone. His household rallied around him, shouldering the load and going through the exhausting process together.
An athlete used to pushing his body to its physical limits, his recovery meant learning a new kind of mental strength, slowing down, embracing vulnerability, leaning on his inner circle, and allowing himself the grace to heal.
“I was back to work a month after surgery. I didn’t want it to affect any other aspect of my life,” he told us. “But I didn’t get back to the gym till six months after surgery as instructed. It wasn’t easy. To be honest, I had more down days than I would’ve thought. I had to deal with the fact that there was further to go on this journey. I also have to remain on medication for another three years and I am pretty disciplined about that. For instance, I don’t drink anymore because it affects the efficacy of the drugs.”
Today, Shaka is looking well and feeling better. He has reclaimed his health, his body, and his future. The experience has reminded him that the quiet, unscripted moments with the people he loves are what matter most.
Breaking the stigma
With June marking Cancer Survivors Awareness Month, Shaka continues to be completely transparent about his journey for one critical reason: to keep other men alive.
Many Caribbean men still stubbornly resist medical screenings out of fear, stigma, or a false sense of invincibility. According to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the region carries one of the highest prostate cancer mortality rates globally. In Trinidad and Tobago, prostate cancer is the leading oncological killer among men, accounting for 35.1 per cent of all cancer deaths. Furthermore, a joint landmark study by CARPHA and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows cancer death rates in the Caribbean are two to nine times higher than in the United States, a disparity driven heavily by late detection.
“Prostate cancer is survivable if caught early enough. Whether it’s hereditary or not doesn’t matter,” said Shaka, a man who knows better than most that the right action at the right moment can change everything. “You must insist on getting checked. Go get tested, know your PSA, and track its history. Testing saves lives. It saved mine.”
What Every Man Needs to Know
The Warning Signs
Early prostate cancer often has zero physical symptoms, which is why regular screening is critical. However, see a doctor immediately if you experience:
• Difficulty starting urination or a weak, interrupted flow.
• A frequent urge to urinate, especially at night.
• Pain or burning during urination.
• Blood in the urine or semen.
• Persistent pain in the back, hips, or pelvis.
Understanding Your PSA Baseline
A Prostate-Specific Antigen blood test measures the protein levels produced by the prostate.
• The Baseline: For most men, a PSA level below 4.0 ng/mL is considered normal, though levels naturally creep up slightly with age.
• The Velocity: A sudden spike or a continuous upward trend over time, even if the numbers remain within the “normal” range, is a critical warning sign that requires an immediate urologist consultation or an MRI.
