face it …. fight it …. beat it

Four years ago today I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  That’s the day I discovered a few things about my life: the true meaning of friendship, the love and support of my family, and the strength and peace that only God can give.  It’s the day I became a cancer survivor!

God gave me the courage to face it, the knowledge and wisdom to fight it, and His grace to beat it.

Here’s my story ….

A week before I was scheduled to run the Big Sur International Marathon, I found out that that my PSA was a little elevated.  I didn’t know much about PSA, but I did know I was in the best shape of my life.  This PSA thing must have been a fluke.  After competing Big Sur, which is one of the most difficult marathons on the face of this planet, I returned home and had another blood test.  This time my PSA was higher and it was recommended that I have a biopsy.

Over the course of the next 6 months, I had several blood tests and two biopsies.  It was after the second biopsy on October 26^th that it was determined that I had prostate cancer.  I refer to that date as TEN26.  It’s a day I will never forget.  Cancer didn’t freak me out, but the potential side-affects of incontinence and impotency did bother me a little  (a lot!).

Quickly I learned that researching my treatment options was difficult.  I couldn’t get a health care professional to give me an objective solution based on my age, Gleason score, staging, quality of life issues, etc.  Everybody had the best deal for me.  I was facing The Great Prostate Procedure Shootout!  I realized that it was my body, my life and I had to make the decision on which treatment solution was best for me.  So I decided to dig deep.  I spent hours on the internet, read books, talked with cancer survivors, and visited one of the best cancer hospitals in the world.

It was during this time of research that I found out about a doctor at Ohio State University, James Cancer Center.  This doctor was the only one that would call me back and/or email me when I had questions (which was frequently).  We made a connection right away.  And after 5 weeks of digging, discussing, and praying I scheduled surgery at OSU.  It was pretty simple: I flew in to Columbus, Ohio on Monday night, pre-op appointment on Tuesday, and surgery on Wednesday, and back to the hotel on Thursday, catheter removed on Monday and back home on Tuesday.

Here’s the long story short – I was never in much pain, I was walking around the OSU campus the day after surgery, and my recovery exceeded my expectations.  Three weeks after my surgery I was back at the gym working out.  I returned to work after 2 weeks.  Since my surgery I have run 6 marathons and countless other events.  But I must mentioned that I have had 4 other surgeries since that time!  I’m the comeback kid (not much of a kid anymore!).

In closing, the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System is considered the finest equipment for robotic prostatectomy and OSU is the premier hospital for this surgery.  But it’s more than equipment and expertise.  Through my cancer journey I found out the true meaning of friendship, the love and support of my family, and the strength and peace that only God can give.

I’m a survivor!

If you or anyone you know have questions concerning prostate cancer, please call me at 404-939-0348.

TEN26