I have experienced both hope and despair. In my life, they are inextricably intertwined with each other. I have come to understanding that I must celebrate both life’s low points as well as its high points. I have heard on four separate occasions, “Joel, you have cancer.” I have struggled through the impact of hearing [...]
When I was first interviewing oncologists to decide whom to put on my team to help me deal with my prostate cancer recurrence, I remember leaving the office of the doctor I eventually selected and saying to my wife, “I can’t use him.” She asked why and I replied, “He is not going to be [...]
A man at one of my support groups asked if I could go back in time would I repeat my journey with cancer? I first thought was this a stupid question; of course, I would not. Why would I want to repeat this experience? Who in their right mind would elect to again walk on [...]
When I had my recurrence in December of 2005, my PSA made it’s way to 87.7 and I had a PSA doubling time of 4.2 months. Hormone deprivation therapy (ADT) caused the PSA to “drop like a rock” and within six to eight weeks my PSA was happily
One of those things that sometimes irk me is the lack of warmth I have encountered from medical professionals throughout my journey with cancer. No question, there have been exceptions, glimpses of compassion extended from a few people. More often than not there seems to be a general lack of empathy or sensitivity. It is [...]