Shinn set to undergo prostate surgery

Hornets owner George Shinn will undergo surgery this morning to remove his prostate after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in November.

The surgery will be performed by Dr. Patrick Walsh at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution in Baltimore.

Shinn, 68, was in good spirits Tuesday, saying he just wants to return to his normal duties in running his basketball franchise.
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"I changed my whole lifestyle," Shinn said by telephone Tuesday. "I haven't had any meat in three months, neither chicken or fish. I've been eating pure vegetables and mostly raw foods.

"I've been working out at least five days a week -- cycling, walking and weights. When I started, I weighed 170 pounds. Yesterday morning, I weighed 138. I've been on blood pressure medication, and I quit that."

Shinn said he sought the best hospital and the best doctor to perform his surgery. Walsh is known for his pioneering work in treating prostate conditions. He spent 30 years as a professor and Director of the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins.

Since he disclosed publicly he had cancer Nov. 6, Shinn has kept a low profile, living in Tennessee with his wife, Denise. In one of his few public appearances in New Orleans since announcing he had cancer, Shinn attended the Nov. 25 game against the Milwaukee Bucks and told the Arena crowd he was touched by the outpouring of support he has received.

"It's in God's hands, and I think I'm going to be cured," Shinn said. "Everybody will see me in my familiar seat (at the Arena), hopefully after the All-Star break (Feb. 12-15). I'm at total peace, and I feel healthy. I'm just going to relax and let them do what they have to do."

Shinn said he plans to remain a vegetarian and write a book aimed toward helping people diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"I really feel like the first day I got this diagnosis, I was really down," Shinn said. "You can imagine. Everybody feels that way. I know how it feels because I felt it. But the more I thought about it, the more research I did, I changed my attitude. I said I'm going to take control of this thing, and I'm going to get well."

Shinn has owned the Hornets since their inception; he was awarded the expansion franchise in Charlotte, N.C., in 1987. The Hornets' inaugural season was 1988-89, and they relocated to New Orleans in 2002.

"He believes in the power of prayer, and he won't settle for anything less than a full recovery," Hornets spokesman Harold Kaufman said.

Shinn said: "I'm not nervous at all. The only thing I don't like is that the surgery is at 7:30 in the morning and I got to be there at 5:30 a.m.

"I'm not worried about the surgery. I just want to get it behind me so I can move on with my life and get back home."