Don Gardner

In February 2009 I went to my primary care physician for what I thought was a routine visit. During my checkup, he suspected something might be wrong and referred me to a urologist. They did a PSA test, found it was high, and determined I had prostate cancer. I was given several choices. One was surgery and the other was to see an oncologist for radiation. Because I'm active with Dog Days and a mowing business, I chose to have radiation with Dr Klish. Dr Klish was great at helping me through my fear of "will this cancer go away?"

Dr Klish and his staff continued to reassure me that everything would be ok, which enabled me to continue my life as normal with the exception of now needing to take a daily nap. Because I'm connected to a lot of people who seem to listen to me at Dog Days, I decided to use that as a chance to educate others. I encourage everyone I see to go to the doctor for a yearly physical. I know that several people I've spoken with have gone to the doctor for checkups as a result.

I started radiation in March and went everyday for 42 sessions. My last day of radiation was in June which was a day of celebration. I even wore a suit for my last radiation appointment. I had to wait 3 months until they could take another psa to see if the cancer was gone. That was probably the hardest thing I had ever had to do as I am not a patient person. The psa did come back good and I have been checked every 3 months since. Each time I go for a checkup there is always that fear of will it return.

I have been donating to the Relay for Life for a long time, since my mother and step-brother, who I was very close to, both died of cancer. Last year I was asked to speak at the Relay for Life, which was really an honor for me. During the speech I looked around and realized how lucky I was, as so many others were worse off than me. I continue to support the Relay for Life and feel we are all in this together and should support each other.