"Dreamer" has Prostate Cancer and we are Thankful.....

Yep, we're on a new adventure... fighting cancer. We are thanking God for the cancer and the circumstances we now find ourselves in…

“In all things, give thanks to the Lord.”

Of all the kinds of cancer Tom could have, prostate cancer is a pretty benign option. We could have been told he had a grapefruit sized tumor in his brain and to go home and put his affairs in order. But, no.  We got a good diagnosis.

He has had this for a while, but it’s been quiet and quite manageable. More recently, his PSA spiked and he had another biopsy, which showed advancement of the cancer and a change in his Gleason score. For those of you unfamiliar with prostate cancer, a Gleason Score is determined from the analysis of tissue samples taken from the prostate during the biopsy and a physical exam. It was evident that the time to do something had arrived.

Having researched many options for treatment, we decided to see the physicians at RCOG, in Atlanta, Georgia. The doctors here in Michigan were all about surgical intervention, with pretty high odds of encountering side effects, which wasn’t an option for us. RCOG, (www.rcog.com) who has successfully treated over 16,000 men over the past 20 years, was the option we chose. As a man with a strong family history of prostate cancer, this probably was inevitable. So, a word to the wise fellas…. Get checked. It’s a sneaky cancer, that’s mostly silent, especially in younger men who don’t typically warrant PSA checks.  It’s a lot like ovarian cancer in women… silent, until it’s already there and raging.

So, tomorrow, Tom will start the first of 35 daily radiation treatments to kill the cancer. Two weeks ago, he underwent surgery to implant 35+ radioactive ‘seeds’ in the prostate, which began initial treatment. Now the 7 weeks of daily radiation will complete his treatment. Hopefully, Christmas we will be rejoicing that we’re on the other side of cancer. We won’t have accurate ‘cure’ level for approximately 2 years, when the PSA remains at 0.2 or less.

 We have an extremely strong faith and this has only given us more opportunities to be on our knees before The Lord. We thank Him every day that this is all we have to deal with, knowing that He is in control and will work out all things for His Glory. We covet your prayers for successful treatment, no complications or setbacks and a quick return to normal life afterwards.

"DREAMER"

All this to say…. Women, get your men to get checked. Any man over 50 should have a baseline PSA. Men with a family history should have a PSA at 40. Men, don’t ignore urinary issues…. 

Should you want to encourage him with notes, cards or even a care package of goodies, I'll soon post an address where you can send things to him. We are so thankful to all of our hiking followers for your love, encouragement and prayers. Bless you!