Stories

DR. PAUL LANGE
Dr. Paul H. Lange knows prostate cancer. Not only is he a survivor, but as a Urological Oncologist, he has received national recognition for his work in a variety of genitourinary cancers. Though Dr. Lange knew the statistics, with no history of prostate cancer in his self-described “large family of male relatives”, he didn’t consider himself a likely candidate. However, after performing a biopsy in secret, Dr. Lange soon learned that prostate cancer was hitting very close to home.

After carefully weighing his options, analyzing the results of a second biopsy, and considering his proactive personality, Dr. Lange concluded that his best option for fighting prostate cancer would be a radical prostatectomy. However, trepidation set in. Although he had performed the operation countless times, and had counseled patients for years on the surgery’s outcome, he quickly found himself understanding the wide variety of emotions that his patients felt. He felt fear- not of death- but of how incontinence and impotence would affect his life and his marriage. He felt the desire to control what was going on, and discomfort at the thought of losing his own identity.

Years later, Dr. Lange is living life to its fullest. Physically he is thankful to be cancer free- and does not feel threatened by the return of prostate cancer. He feels fortunate to have never suffered potency problems, and only very occasionally experiences minor degrees of incontinence which he describes as never being to the point of “social embarrassment”. Dealing with prostate cancer, he believes, has made him a better person. He is glad to be able to relate to his patients in a way he may not have before—he also attributes a greater passion for prostate cancer research to his personal experience and his triumph over this difficult disease.

KARL SPELTZ
This is a brief overview of my experiences in dealing with the treatment for my prostrate cancer.

Let me begin by saying after 24 years as a professional soldier and 11 years as a school district administrator, I was really looking forward to a real retirement. But, much to my surprise, after taking my annual physical four months into retirement, I was informed I would need to take a PSA test (prostate specific antigen test). After the test my urologist told me an ultra-sound imaging test was in order to determine if I had cancer. The bad news was I had cancer. The good news was the tests indicated the tumor had not extended outside the prostate gland and the cancer was slow growth. This diagnosis bought me time to determine the type of treatment that would be best in my particular case.

Three months after the detection of cancer with much research and many doctor appointments later, I developed a treatment plan much to the happiness of my wife, children, and doctor.

There are many options to treat prostrate cancer. For example, surgical removal of the prostrate, radiation therapy, surgical removal of the testicles, hormone therapy and permanent seed implant therapy. I chose the seed implant for my treatment.

On December 22, 1998, (a nice Christmas gift), the procedure was performed by Dr. Peter Grimm of the Seattle Prostrate Institute at Swedish Hospital. The implant went extremely well, the total time for the procedure was about 1 ½ hours. This procedure was performed on an outpatient basis. At the time of my release from the hospital I was given a routine follow-up schedule and some medication.

Six years later dozens of digital rectal exams and PSA tests have taken place since the procedure was performed. I really don’t have significant side effects as a result of the cancer and the seed implant.

In summary, I have a few observations:

Early detection of prostrate cancer is the key to successful treatment.
Periodic PSA tests are one of the tools for early detection of cancer
As I have indicated there are a number of treatment forms, do your homework and research to determine which is the best for you.
Be very careful, because there will be conflicting advice. The family doctor is not in the prostrate cancer business, the urologist would like to do surgery, and the radiologist would like external beam radiation.
After a careful review with your wife and family doctor, then make your decision and pursue treatment with measured abandonment.

I am doing fine and look forward to my future without the fear of prostrate cancer.

DENNIS HILL
So many people in the world are affected by cancer in some shape or form – either by being diagnosed themselves, or having friends or family who suffer from the disease. It’s hard to think about one of your closest family members being diagnosed with cancer – and when it happened to my family; it brought us all closer together and gave us all a renewed appreciation for each other. Three years ago, just a few months after he retired, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“In preparation for my retirement I decided to get a physical to basically checkpoint my health as I started the next phase of life,” he recalled. “The results of this physical were normal EXCEPT for some minor fluctuation in my PSA levels”.

After 3 PSA tests and discussions with the doctor, it was suggested that he see a urologist. Admittedly, he thought he was healthy enough to put off another doctor visit for a month. When he did go to the urologist for the follow up, the doctor said that a biopsy needed to be performed to determine what was going on.

The results of the biopsy couldn’t have come at a worse time – my family was all gathered at the hospital for my sister, who was having surgery to remove an ovarian cyst, which could possibly be cancerous. As my sister was being wheeled away on the stretcher, my father’s cell phone rang – the doctor’s office told him over the phone that the biopsy indicated prostate cancer.

“How could I have prostate cancer?” he asked himself, “I was a healthy individual. I had never had a major illness. I had no physical symptoms. I had never been in the hospital. I had just retired.”

The diagnosis was a shock to all of us – how could this be happening? We were all stunned; there were no outward symptoms that my father was sick. This was my Dad – he had never been seriously hurt, and he was the resilient backbone of our family. It’s one of the most difficult things to come to terms with – the fragility of life, and the possibility that a disease might take my father away.

Luckily, the prostate cancer was detected in its early stages. Doctors explained that typically, prostate cancer does not rapidly grow or spread quickly, and we had time to explore the various treatment alternatives. As a family, we researched and evaluated all available treatment alternatives at the time. These were seed implants, external beam radiation, surgery, and “watchful waiting”. After working through these alternatives, it was obvious to us that surgery was our best treatment option. From diagnosis to treatment took what seemed like an eternity, but was actually only six weeks.

Once the decision was made for surgical treatment, a date was set for the actual procedure, called a “nerve-sparing prostatectomy”. The surgery went smoothly, and he was in the hospital for only three days, two nights. It took three to four weeks after the surgery for the physical recovery, and it took many months to learn to control his bladder again. Perhaps the longest recovery is the mental and emotional recuperation, for both the individual and the family.

“I have a very supportive family that was invaluable during this difficult period,” he said. “About a year ago I started participating in a prostate cancer support group at Swedish hospital. This has been an important part of the mental recovery process for me.”

Thankfully, the doctors were able to remove all of the cancerous tissue in the surgery, and my father has been living cancer-free for more than three years! To ensure that he remains healthy, his PSA levels are tested every six months for the balance of his life. Early detection is the key to prostate cancer survivor stories – the earlier you detect, more treatment options are available.

“It made me realize how fragile life is and to not take it for granted,” he reflected. “It has also made me live life every day, to savor every moment, to live in the present.”

DENNIS HILL'S DAUGHTER
My Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer three years ago as of August 2006. He had just retired from IBM a few months before being diagnosed and was really looking forward to starting a new chapter in life as a “retired guy”. That’s when life threw a curve ball at him and the rest of our family.

Initially, I found out that he had cancer when I was being wheeled into the operating room to have a large ovarian cyst removed that could have been cancerous. I will never forget the look in my dad’s eyes when he told me that he was fine and that everything would be okay. I knew that he wasn’t okay. When I woke up in the recovery room hours later, I learned that my cyst had not been cancerous but I was reminded that my dad was just diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer?! How could this happen to my dad? I was angry and frustrated. I was so sad and worried about him. I didn’t know what to do or say to help him (or my mom for that matter!) After researching and learning what I could do to try and make sense of this horrible disease, I felt more confident that my dad would beat it. Early detection was the key. My parents did a lot of research and together they interviewed doctors they wanted to potentially work with to beat it.

My dad’s cancer was caught early on. He had a procedure called a nerve-sparing prostatectomy and they were able to remove the cancer. It hadn’t spread outside the prostate. If it had, my story might read a little differently.

Prostate cancer is one of those topics we just don’t talk about much. It’s like breast cancer was years ago. But, that has to change. We have to start talking about it. We have to make sure that men are getting checked. Early detection saved my dad’s life. It could save your dad’s life too.

DAVE EDERER
My life first became entwined with cancer when my first wife was diagnosed with cancer in 1991. I took care of her until she died, nine months later, and then went on to care for two close friends who had cancer.

In 1997, I went to have a physical that included routine blood work. The results led to biopsies; my doctor looked at me and said, “You’ve just celebrated your last Christmas. You’ve got terminal prostate cancer. You’ve got nine months to live.”

While I heard the doctor, I didn’t accept what he said. I’m the one who usually likes a challenge. I didn’t go home and hide under the bed. I didn’t run from the problem. I ran toward it. I strapped up my chinstrap and got ready for the fight of my life.

My dining room table became a war room. I read everything about prostate cancer I could find. I learned that most solid tumors can be treated if they’re confined, but if they escape the capsule, the outlook is grim. My tumor was no longer confined. I was in a race against time.

I began visiting doctors. Most of these skilled surgeons would describe the problem in great detail and then tell me I wasn’t a candidate for surgery or other treatments. From March to September I met with 18 doctors in 6 different cites in three states. Through it all I learned a great deal but, I didn’t find what I needed.

While I was in the hospital Tom Brokaw was researching a story on a new treatment that I happened to be receiving-the placement of radioactive isotopes “seeds” inside the prostate to treat the cancer. Brokaw contacted my doctor for a recommendation on a patient he could profile. I was recommended and featured on NBC’s Nightly News.

So I decided to help create my own treatment. I put myself under the care of two doctors who didn’t know I was seeing the other. One doctor in California put me on three drugs for 13 months. The other treated me with two forms of radiation for six weeks. I was very familiar with the radiation department, having been with my first wife while she was treated there. The combination worked so well that eventually went off all medication.

From 1998 to 2004 I was on and off treatments every 2 years and continued to monitor the disease closely.

In July 2004 my cancer appeared again. Two months later, after what had become more than seven years of self-study and countless conversations with doctors, I knew enough to suggest to the doctors that they remove my prostate, bladder, and lymph nodes along with scraping my bones where any and very identifiable bit of cancer might remain.

Since then I have been without treatment and enjoying the grandkids.

STEVE FLEISHMANN
Seattle businessman Steve Fleischmann was just 47 and in seemingly excellent health when he went to his doctor for a routine checkup. That visit, and the doctor’s willingness to follow up on a feeling that “something was odd,” Fleischmann says, may have saved his life.

The doctor, Dr. Gary Schuster, sent Fleischmann to a urologist who diagnosed prostate cancer. Based on research and advice with friends, Fleischmann decided to see Dr. Paul Lange, chairman at the Department of Urology at University of Washington Medical Center and member of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance’s Prostate Cancer Center, for a second opinion.

In the summer of 2003, working with Dr. Lange and with his wife by his side, Fleischmann opted for a radial prostatectomy. Of his choices, this seemed the most fitting for his lifestyle.

The surgery was a success! And two years later, Fleischmann is an upbeat, energetic man suffering no incontinence or impotence. He currently employs a dozen people at Fleischmann Office Interiors, a successful Seattle office furniture dealership.

Prostate cancer has given his life greater dimension and Fleischmann says he intends to dedicate his life to publicizing the disease. He now spends much of his time talking to men about prostate cancer - an issue that most men find difficult to discuss. His efforts also include an annual fundraising breakfast which has raised almost $4 million to benefit prostate cancer. Fleischmann is a living inspiration to men and cancer sufferers everywhere.