Craig's Story
Alex's Story
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Alex's Story
The emergency room doctor confirmed my suspicions. I had a mass on my testicle and he recommended that I call a Urologist for a consultation. The next morning I had an appointment with the Urologist and the day after I had an Orchiectomy to remove my diseased testicle.
I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and my biopsy results revealed that I had 100% pure embryonal carcinoma, a malignant and aggressive form of testicular cancer. Like others who are diagnosed with cancer, it was a shock. I had no leading indicators, was living a happy and healthy life and still celebrating being a new father.
As much as it was a shock, it didn’t scare me. I’m not sure why but I knew instinctively and immediately that I was going to be alright and was going to beat this. Maybe it was the fact that Karen was at my side and that with her next to me I can overcome anything. Maybe it was having Jacob and knowing that there was no alternative but to beat the disease. Or, maybe I knew that Testicular Cancer, if detected early and treated, the chances for survival were great.
Once my biopsy came back I began to canvas all the top doctors seeking their advice. I visited Dr. Philip Kantoff at Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center and Dr. Joel Sheinfeld of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and even spoke to Dr. Larrry Einhorn of Indiana University Cancer Center by phone.
What I found most interesting about my consultations was the option to either observe or treat aggressively. Karen and I decided early on to be aggressive. First, I didn’t want to live with the prospects of having cancer inside me growing. Second, treating aggressively could help me avoid chemotherapy – which I was afraid of.
After the Orchiectomy, the aggressive option was to have my Retroperitoneal Lymph Nodes removed. On August 24, 2001, I was admitted into Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for Dr. Sheinfeld to perform his nerve-sparing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) on me. The six hour surgery was a success and I spent the next 7 days under the incredible care of the fine nurses and doctors there.
Upon discharge from the hospital I spent the next week convalescing at my sister’s house. Her family was incredible. They were loving, caring and helped me get through the week away from Karen and Jacob who I missed dearly by then. On Sept 8, 2001 I headed back to Atlanta just 3 days before the terrible tragedy that struck our country.
The biopsy of my lymph nodes revealed a small amount of spread. When I received this news, it was the only time that I was a little discouraged during my experience. I was hoping the RPLND would be the last step to being cured. Instead I had another choice to make. I could choose observation, as there was a likelihood that the surgery was curative, or I could endure adjuvant chemotherapy treatment of two cycles.
Once again, I chose the aggressive approach and on Oct 1, I began the first of 2 cycles of traditional platinum-based chemotherapy given for five consecutive days as an outpatient in cycles every 21 days. While I was concerned and reluctant about chemotherapy due to the potential side effects, I didn’t want to wait around to find out if I was cured by the RPLND. I was lucky, the 2 cycles went better than I ever expected. I only had a small case of the hiccups for a night. No nausea. No radical hair loss. Once again, through my treatments I was home and supported by my amazing wife, my family who all flew in at one time or another to be my side and an incredible group of friends.
The day after Jacob’s First Halloween, November 1, 2001, I completed my last cycle of chemotherapy. I have been observed ever since and am happy to report that I am living cancer free.
Even better, thanks to Dr. Sheinfeld’s nerve-sparring RPLND techniques, less than two years after being diagnosed, treated and cured, we conceived naturally. In September 2003 Karen gave birth to our second miracle and Jacob’s little brother, Alon.
Life is meant to be lived. Live it!
