Sloan-Kettering - Patient Stories: Bill's Story


"I thank God for my wife, my children, Dr. Scardino, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering."

Very Bad News

It all began in April 2003, when I went in for my semi-annual physical. My internist noticed something unusual during the routine digital rectal exam. He said, "I don't think it's anything, but let's get you checked, just to make sure." Sir William Osler, a famous 19th-Century physician, once said, "One finger in the throat and one in the rectum makes a good diagnostician," the truth of which was proven in my case.

We were referred to a urologist, who found nothing of immediate alarm and recommended that I have my prostate biopsied in the next several months. My wife, Tina, who had lost her first husband to melanoma 35 years earlier, immediately said, "Forget that. We are going to get a biopsy now."

I had the biopsy within days. The results showed that I had prostate cancer. And, to make matters worse, mine registered a Gleason grade of 9 (though it would later be adjusted to a 7), which indicates an aggressive prostate tumor that is likely to spread to other areas of the body. The tumor was so aggressive that the surgeon at the hospital where I was biopsied refused to treat me with surgery. He said it had progressed too far. I was shocked. This was very bad news.

The Best Man

My brother, who is a physician, told me that when it comes to prostate cancer, the best man in the world is Peter Scardino, Chairman of the Department of Urology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, where they have the best prostate team around. So that's where we went. Because my Gleason grade was so high, they immediately scheduled a barrage of tests for me at Memorial.

This was a nerve-wracking time for me. But the wonderful thing about Dr. Scardino was that he inspired confidence immediately. He took command of the situation the moment we met him. He had read the test results and he was prepared. He told us he thought it was operable, saying, "I am your surgeon and I am going to help you."

Dr. Scardino had a very thorough discussion with us about the prostatectomy procedure, detailing every possible outcome. I only had one thing to say to him when he finished: "I don't care about incontinence or impotence, just, please, whatever else you do, preserve my impudence!" He said, "Well, wait a minute. Twenty years from now, I don't want you to start having second thoughts." To which I replied, "Twenty years from now, the only second thought I'll have is 'Did I order enough champagne at lunch!'" Not everyone feels that way, but there was no question in our minds that this was a life-saving procedure and whatever happened, happened.

For the entire time leading up to the surgery, Tina and I were worried that something would change, making me no longer a candidate for surgery. Luckily, the results from all the tests gave me a green light.

Day of Reckoning


	William & Tina Greenberg

Mary Schoen, the excellent, extremely helpful clinical nurse in the Urology Department, had prepared me for the surgery, and everything ran smoothly the day of the procedure. The nursing staff was so helpful to Tina and our kids during the surgery, coming out of the O.R. on a regular basis with reports of the procedure's progress and my condition. After the prostatectomy was completed, Dr. Scardino came out and told my family that everything had gone well. He answered all of Tina's many questions and made everyone feel comfortable.

In looking back on that day, it is apparent that the excellent treatment we received, from the nurses to the anesthetists to Dr. Scardino himself, was not an accident. Memorial Sloan-Kettering is a well-oiled machine with an expertly-trained staff.

Success

I went home four days after the surgery, and though there were some complications, it felt good to be back. My goal was to rest and to do whatever I was told. Tina had been thoroughly trained by the nursing staff to take care of me and my catheter, and she found it relatively easy to do.

My final pathology results from the tumor material removed during surgery weren't available until I returned, a week later, to the hospital to have the catheter removed. Understandably, I was anxious the day we went back. To my tremendous relief, everything looked good and the tests showed no sign of residual cancer. Initially, we had discussed possibly doing the nerve graft procedure, which, fortunately, wasn't necessary because the nerves were preserved during the surgery. Despite my instructions to save only my impudence, Dr. Scardino, thanks to his brilliant surgical technique, was able to save all my normal functions.

Lessons Learned

To me, the idea of being a cancer survivor is the ultimate pretentious concept. I don't believe in it. You survive cancer because of God, the skill of the medical team that treats you, or some combination of the two. You could be a good person, or a bad person, a sinner or a saint. It doesn't matter. Your treatment success is out of your hands.

However, now that I have survived cancer, I thank God for my wife, my children, Dr. Scardino, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering. I believe that I am going to die whenever God sees fit, but, thanks to Dr. Scardino, I don't believe I'm going to die of this. As a result, I'm not going to take too much time off to smell the flowers. I do rest a little bit more than before, but I work just as hard, too. Part of the money I earn now, I'm earning so that people in my position who don't have the same means as I do can receive the same treatment.

As part of this effort, Tina and I have given an endowed gift to Memorial Sloan-Kettering in honor of Dr. Scardino. He is part of what I consider a championship team at Memorial and we wanted to help them with their efforts. We directed that the money from the gift be used to help men diagnosed with prostate cancer receive the same wonderful treatment I received. It saved my life and I hope it can, in some small way, help save theirs.

Advice for those Just Diagnosed

If you or a loved one have just received a diagnosis of prostate cancer, my advice is simple: Go to Memorial. When you're dealing with a potential diagnosis of cancer, I don't think there is anyplace else in the world where I'd rather be.