Note: This article was originally published on January 20, 2023. Because it was lost when Typepad, the host of our blog, shut down, it is being republished.
(photo credit Adnan Akram)
William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews
PHILADELPHIA, PA (January 20, 2023)(CNBNews)—On Wednesday, January 18, 2023, I headed to the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at 3600 Civic Blvd., Philadelphia, for my last prostate cancer treatment. With me were my wife, Connie; my daughter, Connie Lynn Woods; and my granddaughter, Brianna Woods. My entire family wanted to be there, but the hospital limits the number of support people you can bring with you.
Part of the celebration for people who complete this journey is ringing a ceremonial large bell that hangs in the corner of the waiting room on the bottom floor of that building. I was apprehensive, but what could go wrong? I watched five-year-olds ring that bell during my time at the Center, and they had no problems. Of course, being a Cleary, you always prepare to expect the unexpected, and so I was cautious. After being zapped by the Big Zapper, I got dressed and headed towards that corner for my big moment. My family gathered, and the patients and their family members in the room were looking toward the corner where I was standing. As I grabbed the rope to ring the bell, nothing happened. All eyes were on me. I swung the rope again, but still no sound. I looked towards Kathy, the receptionist, and she was yelling, “Swing it forward, not sideways.” Laughter and applause from the patients and staff broke the tension in the room as I rang the bell loudly and clearly several times.
How happy I am to have completed those 33 treatments. Several times, I wanted to quit because of the side effects I was experiencing. Plus, there were nights when I couldn’t sleep as I realized that I was facing a possible life-ending illness. And, I was still thinking about those hormone pills that make male breasts grow. Will I need a bra? And if so, what size?
Although the treatments are over, some of the radiation’s side effects, such as chills, tiredness, headaches, diarrhea, and nausea, have continued. The doctors said those symptoms may continue for some time or they may stop all of a sudden.
In May 2022, the results of my routine PSA blood test increased by three points from 4 to 7.1. The PSA test is a blood test used primarily to screen for prostate cancer. The test measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood. PSA is a protein produced by both cancerous and noncancerous tissue in the prostate, a small gland that sits below the bladder in males.
In June, another PSA test was taken, which led to an MRI of the prostate in July and a prostate biopsy at the end of August. Both the MRI and the biopsy results confirmed that the tumor was cancerous. It was aggressive but localized to my prostate; in other words, it wasn’t metastatic. That was the good news; the bad news was that my cancer had a Gleason score of 8 and a Grade of 4.
My Proton therapy treatment began on December 6, 2022. Proton therapy, also known as proton beam therapy, is a type of radiation therapy that uses high-energy protons (positively charged atoms) to damage the DNA in cancer cells. This type of cancer treatment is non-invasive, painless, and precise.
There are side effects from the radiation. Besides those mentioned, I also had chills, mouth and throat ulcers, and a rash on the trunk of my body. The GI problems were the worst. Some weeks it lasted for five days in a row.
Making this journey easier at Penn were some of the nicest doctors, nurses, proton therapy technicians, support staff, valet parking attendants, and cashiers I have ever met in my lifetime.
According to information on the center’s website, the Roberts Proton Therapy Center features five treatment rooms and a dedicated research room for proton therapy. It also has an additional five rooms for conventional (photon) radiation therapy. As the largest center in the world for both proton and traditional radiation, they treat more than 100 patients with proton therapy daily. It consists of 75,000 square feet.
Besides prostate cancer, proton therapy is used for Lung cancer, GI tumors, Breast cancer, Brain tumors, and Sarcomas.
The same type of Proton treatment will be opening soon at the Penn-Virtua Hospital in Marlton, NJ.
I had the privilege of meeting some fascinating people, who were also patients, during this period. There was a 73-year-old Russian naturalized citizen. Before his retirement, he was a teacher, and later, he ran a successful business in Delaware. The city of Wilmington claimed eminent domain to build public projects, and he was forced to close his business. Later, his wife fell ill, and he spent his retirement years caring for her. Most recently, his invalid brother moved into his house. Despite his cancer, he continues to take care of both his wife and brother.
There was a 25-year-old construction worker who was the sole provider for his 9-year-old daughter and his mother. He was diagnosed at another hospital with a brain tumor. When they operated on that tumor, the surgeons damaged the right side of his body. As a result, he could barely open his right eye, and he couldn’t move his right arm. The other hospital missed his cancer, and he was at Penn getting chemo treatments. Despite his health problems, the former karate student and his mother believed strongly in Almighty God and also believed in taking one day at a time. He hopes one day to return to construction work, a job he truly loves. His mother showed me pictures of him before his illness. The photo showed a strong, handsome man with a broad smile, holding his daughter, who was perhaps 3 years old at the time.
There was a man in his 50s who was treated for cancer at another Philadelphia hospital in 2017. They told him that his cancer was cured. However, he kept telling his doctor that he didn’t feel well, and he was spending most of his day in bed because of the blasé feelings he was experiencing. After several years, he wasn’t feeling any better. He came to Penn for a second opinion, and they discovered he had bone cancer along with lung cancer.
There was a 50-year-old woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer. We were both waiting for a CAT scan, and we were the only two people in the room. We both looked up from our phones, and I smiled, saying hello. When I asked her what she was being treated for, she said breast cancer. She shared her concerns about her young children, as she was their sole provider. Her mother recently moved in with her to take care of her and the kids. “She is elderly, I am afraid she is taking on too much,” the young woman said. “I don’t know what will happen to my kids if cancer kills me.” I didn’t know what to say. Her situation was much more serious than mine. I listened and tried to offer her words of comfort.
This was my second experience with cancer. My first was in 2012-2013. At that time, the diagnosis was kidney cancer. However, after cutting me open, a biopsy of the tumor was performed, and it was determined that it was benign.
For now, I am thrilled to be done with the radiation. I asked the doctor how I would know if the tumor is gone. “Let us worry about that; you go about living your life. Have a cheesesteak if you want. We will monitor your PSA test every three months, and that will tell us if we were successful.”
The American Cancer Society says …For most men with prostate cancer, treatment can remove or destroy the cancer. Completing treatment can be both stressful and exciting. You may be relieved to finish treatment, but find it hard not to worry about cancer growing or coming back. This is very common if you’ve had cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/after-treatment/follow-up.html
As you age in life, you can’t help but think every so often about death and how you are going to die. Based on my two experiences with cancer up until now, I don’t believe that disease will be my downfall. Nope, I picture myself tripping over a stone as I walk down the railroad tracks with my dog Peyton, hitting my head, and lying unconscious as a train rolls over my body. Perhaps that is a little extreme, but it has to be something that will earn me a big headline in all the newspapers and television stations. I could go skydiving, and the parachute doesn’t open. Or, I could live to be 100 years old and die in my rocking chair.
Looking back over my life, I should have been gone long ago. This leads me to believe that I still haven’t fulfilled the reason why God put me on this earth 78 years ago. For now, I am going to savor this moment and continue to live my life to the fullest.
Qué será, será. Whatever will be, will be