Stephanie C

About Stephanie C

My husband Jeff was diagnosed January 2018, he had a prostatectomy and we were told wil his low PSA of 2.5 and Gleason of 3+4 7 he would be ok. But we got the horrible news one week later that the cancer left the prostate and he had an aggressive type called cribriform it was in his lymph nodes and the Dr. said it was stage 4 Metastatic Cancer. We were in shock our normal life had just stoped (Stood-still) I remember just holding each other and crying so hard and saying why?? Why? My husband was 52 at diagnosis, string, healthy worked out everyday. He was in my eyes invincible he was in the Military a Colonel 32 years as a JAG he went to Afghanistan for a year and served his country. He’s a father to our children Nicole and Jack a grandfather to Ella, Caity, Frank and Henry. We were in shock! We did t know anything g about thus Cancer or how bad it truly is I started researching because no one really told us what to expect. I was overwhelmed with fear and the unknown, I knew I had to find the best for my husband for a fighting chance. I found two hospitals not near us but that did t matter I picked the one we could get to by plane in 1.5 hours MSK in New York, I joined Health unlocked advanced prostate blog for men and was inundated Witt so much info but with men like my husband who are going through it and have so much info. I armed myself with so much knowledge , supplements, diet changes, best scans, trials. Meds that slow down the progression. We made our first apt we were so scared in a new city we had be we had never been to a place we had talked about visiting to see plays and sight see. But now this was for a fight to live for hope for the best treatment for prostate cancer. Dr. Danilla that day in February of 2018 became our Oncologist we I knew we were where we needed to be. We saw him every three months first year for ADT shots which wiped out my husbands Testerone which also took away his manhood it was devastating for Jeff but we got through it. Our love is so strong of 27 years I told him I did t care about that I love him so much and we just cuddle and hold each other close every day. I had to reassure him for a long time. He then went through 40 rounds of radiation in June of 2018. And got horribly ill in July he needed IV Fluids because he list so much weight and was dehydrated I took him to Ohio State that day and he went limp they had to call an Emergency Response Team and took him stat to the ER to work on him. I thought that was the last time I was going to see him Thankfully he was ok between the radiation and the ADT it was to much for his body to handle. The ADT worked for a short time keeping his PSA undectable but then it stopped working and started doubling slowly every three months. We were just in New York in November he qualified for a PSMA Scan and Thankfully that showed no Mets yet to organs or bones it’s microscopic but his PSA keeps rising and we go back in May to New York for another Scan and then ADT again. For now we live every day to its fullest we cherish and love each other so much. We pray he will qualify for immunotherapy which has hopes to slow down the cancer. Our life is not normal in any shape or form. Every day I’m reading of new treatments and I hope and pray what we have done so far to slow this down will keep working, He has changed his diet to Vegetarian he continues to work out everyday for strength and for his mind. He just retired from the Army as a Colonel after 34 years of service.(that was his second job) and still works everyday for Department of Defense. He is thankful he has seen our son graduate from College this past December it was a fear he had with this cancer that he might not get to see him graduate.
He still is not ready to really reach out to the Cancer site Malecare I do all the research for him.
It’s been an emotional scary journey for us and for our kids. We don’t know what the future holds for us.
All I know is I will continue my research for the best treatment for him. If we ha e to travel to Germany we will I am aware of many men traveling their for new treatment that is not in the states
My hope is that more testing starts earlier for men such as age 40!! Too many men like my husband were told they don’t need tested till 55-60!! And now because of this many men like my husband our dying
At young ages 30’s 40’s 50’s!! This has to stop!
Let’s put faces out their like my husband who has Aggressive Metastatic Prostate Cancer and was diagnosed at 52 and had a Low PSA Of 2.5!!
It’s no longer an Old Mans Disease!
The guys who get prostate cancer like Mitt Romney, In his 70’s , Ben Affleck, Rod Stewart they survived because it was contained it did not spread!! Lucky them. Yet they talk about it as if they have gone through what my husband has and they haven’t!!

They never had Advanced Prostate Cancer! Big difference! They are not fighting for their lives in fact they don’t even talk about ProstateCancer anymore because they are fine!
What I am saying is we need to get this publicized just like Breast Cancer, it needs to be just important as it!
I see Pink ribbons constantly everywhere but not Blue.
I myself tell every single woman I run into about Prostate Cancer and the importance of getting men checked by age 40!! I don’t want one man to end up with advanced metastatic prostate cancer.
I don’t want to lose my husband at a young age it’s not fair!! I want to celebrate our 25th this July .
I want my husband d to be around to see our son get married someday.
I Want a cure for this horrible cancer! I will fight everyday for my husband and all men!

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