Uninvited guest

In 2004, Gary was diagnosed with prostate cancer at a relatively young age. No worries—removing a cancerous prostate cures the disease.

On the morning of surgery, the urologist found me in the hospital waiting room and calmly explained that preliminary tests indicated cancer had spread to the lymph nodes. I sat alone, trying to process this information. We were so sure this uninvited guest would not be staying long.

Recruiting a team

Gary and I began reading as much as we could about prostate cancer. Radiation wasn’t an option in his case, and there is no proven chemotherapy effective on prostate cancer cells. Hormone therapy was prescribed. It doesn’t cure; it just buys time.

It’s not our style to sit back and wait if we can be proactive. And so we recruited a Cancer Team. Gary is the coach and I signed on as assistant coach. Our team consists of the medical professionals and treatments, physical activity, nutrition, our faith, a strong support system, stress management, a positive attitude and finding purpose.

Cancer adventure

We have a passion to share our hope and practical information with other survivors and caregivers. Cancer is not anything Gary and I would ever wish on anyone, but in some peculiar way it has enhanced our marriage, our family relationships, our dreams and goals … and we are energized to see what adventures are waiting for us around the bend.