Update: November 2016

It has been almost 90 days since my last  Proton radiation treatment and Patty and I have been back in our normal routine of work, seeing friends and family,  Nebraska volleyball matches, Nebraska football games, watching my parents and having the three Grand kids over on a regular basis.

My first follow up was simply a PSA blood test at our locale hospital.  GREAT NEWS!!  My PSA number has dropped substantially from just under 12.00 upon starting treatments to an astonishing 1.63.  My doctor's assistant informed me that the drop is fantastic.  They normally hope after the first 90 days that the PSA will drop to about 1/2 of where it was when treatment started.  I guess this is fantastic news, It is fantastic news.  And I have had zero '0' side affects.  ZERO!

I pray that everything continues on and I'm so blessed that we decided upon Proton Therapy for my Prostate Cancer treatment.  If anyone out there has any questions just give me a call or an email at maxpedia@gmail.com.

I hope you all have a very Blessed and Merry Christmas.  Patty and I can't wait for the start of the new year, bring on 2017.

Max Searcey

Surprise

Today at my graduation, my brother LG and Shane made a surprise visit to Oklahoma City.  They left early this morning and drove the 7 hours from Lincoln to make my graduation.  Thank you guys.  It was a very nice surprise and I enjoyed seeing both of you.  Patty and I are heading home on Friday.  Yea!!

Graduation Day

Good afternoon, my name is Max Searcey and I’m from Marysville Kansas.  I was diagnosed in November of last year with prostate cancer.  Prostate cancer runs in my family as my father and older brother have both been treated for this disease.  I was informed of the different treatment options but never did my urologist suggest Proton radiation as a method to treat my cancer.   Luckily, a friend of mine had received proton therapy in California and after a few months of investigation I chose ProCure and Proton therapy in Oklahoma City as my treatment plan.   And I’m so glad that I did.

While in Oklahoma City I was able to visit the National Memorial of the bombing which took place here over 20 years ago.  The memorial is truly a wonderful place to come and remember those who were killed and those who survived that terrible event.  As I visited the site I was amazed to learn the story of the ‘Survival Tree’.  How did that 90 plus year old American Elm tree survive the evil of that day?  The tree was in the parking lot right next to the Murray building and should have been destroyed as most of the surroundings were that awful day. 

But there it is today, surviving and growing!  Green, full and beautiful!  I sat under that tree both times I visited and tried to understand how that tree was able to survive such a horrific event.  Well, over the years that tree had developed its root system, it grew its roots deep into the ground to be able to gather the water and nutrients it needed to expand and grow.  Its root system allowed it to survive.

As cancer patients we also must grow our root system to endure the storms that enter our life, like cancer.  We must feed our roots with nutrients of faith, family and friends. 

Cancer patients must have an understanding of faith.  We may never know the why but we must continue to believe.  “For when you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not burn up.  I have been blessed!!

Cancer patients must have strong family roots to help us survive.  I would like to thank my wife, Patty, who has been with me every day during this journey of cancer survival.  The day I learned that it was cancer, we hugged and she said we will fight this with every ounce of energy we have and we will win.  She put me on the right path that day and I can never be thankful enough for her love and support, thank you Patty.  Also, I’d like to say thank you to our children, Shannon and Shane and my grandchildren, Beau is 7, Bailee is 5 and Bree is 2; they are not here today but have offered their comfort and support and have helped me in ways they will never know.  Patty and I have a strong root system with our families and I am so thankful for it.

Cancer patients must have strong friend roots to endure.  I must say our friends have added nutrients to our root system every day.  Friends and employees at work have offered encouragement, friends have sent me cards, friends have called, friends have made daily notes for each day of my treatments, and friends have provided food and friends have supplied so many prayers.   Thank you.

And new friends have supplied my root system with strength.  Patty and I have made so many new relationships during our stay in Oklahoma.  Our new friends come from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas and so many other locations including from the other side of the pond.  Our new friends from Staybridge Suites, friends and families from the UK and other countries, thank you.  You made our stay so, so, should I just say eventful during our time here. We will never forget you.  Thank you.

And this location, a location called ProCure in Oklahoma is a survival location just like that ‘Surviving Tree’.  ProCure has allowed me and many other countless patients to overcome this evil and survive.  I can never say thank you enough.  Thank you ProCure, thank you every ProCure employee that helped me in anyway; I will forever be an advocate of Proton Therapy and ProCure.  Thank you. 

Final Week

Final week of Treatments.  Only 5 treatments to finish up my Proton therapy.  I just can't believe that this is it.  I currently have zero side affects, only two red spots, about the size of a donut on both hips where the Proton radiation enters each day.  I can't wait to be home.  I have two treatments on Friday so it will be a late arrival on Friday evening.  I will have to get back into my regular routine but will so enjoy family and friends.  

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.  

Quick overview video on Proton Therapy

ProCure Video

The numbers are the times in the above video.  For reference purposes only.

1:02  CYCLOTRON

1:28  223 MPH  (that's pretty darn fast)

Aperture: A metal block containing a hole through which the radiation  (proton) beam passes. Each field or area of treatment for each patient requires a custom-made aperture. The shape of the hole is the approximate shape of the target being treated by the beam. Every patient has her or his own set of apertures, and no other patients use them. (Gold device in video)  1:57

Compensator: A custom-made, beam-shaping device through which a proton beam is delivered. It is used to absorb some energy from the proton beam so that it stops just on the edges of the target or tumor. This keeps the normal, healthy tissues beyond the tumor from receiving radiation. This is used with an aperture. The compensator for each patient is made from thick acrylic and created in our on-site machine shop.  (Blue item in video)  2:02

2:33 MY ROOM  (and it ain't no couch)

I'm going to bring my aperture home with me, they won't let me take the compensator, guess it has some radiation in it, they won't let me have it as my doc says they remain hot for a long time!!

Trying to locate a video of the balloon procedure, I wonder if they will film me tomorrow.  

Quote

Met Billy at the Tuesday evening dine around.  He's from the Wichita area also but is staying at a different hotel here in Oklahoma City.  At this dine around the patients were all prostate cancer patients.  So we were able to share some funny and then some very funny stories.

Billy:  I told those nurse technicians in the treatment room that if it ever looks like I'm starting to enjoy this (the daily balloon) you get me the hell out of here.  Billy also told me he was going to have a tattoo placed down there: a bouquet of balloons.  I don't know, maybe you had to be there or be a prostate cancer patient.

Chuck:  He came up front and just gave a wonderful graduation speech today.  His first comment, this is for the nurse technicians, this is what I look like from the other end.

Have a great day...........

Graduation Day

Only one more graduation to attend, mine.  Next Wednesday is my graduation day from proton treatment.  After today's treatment I only have 8 more treatments.  That means 36 down and 8 more to go.  Another patient asked me today how many treatments I had completed, I had to think, when you get to end you seem to know the number of treatments remaining not the number you have already had.  After asking me that question I actually had to take a moment and think to calculate the number.  Didn't take long to come up with the number though.

Chuck from Wichita, Kansas graduated today.  His insurance company denied his request to pay for proton therapy.  Took him several tries but it was overturned and the insurance company consented to pay for his therapy.  I know it doesn't sound like much but between Chuck and my overturn at BCBS we had proton therapy approved by two the top insurers in Kansas.  Yep, we are leading the way for proton therapy for Kansas residents, please tell anyone you know who may benefit from this type of cancer treatment.  Thank you.  

Chuck's last treatment was Monday, he drives everyday from Wichita.  He went outside to start his car on Monday at 6:00am but forgot something in his house so he ran back in the house to pick it up.  It was raining and he lives on a very quiet street, while in the house he heard tires spinning on the wet street only to look out and see his car speeding down the street. Someone had stolen his car.

Not to be defeated, Chuck called police then jumped into his old pickup and headed out for the 2 1/2 hour trip to ProCure for his last treatment.  He wasn't even late.  Just goes to show you what anyone will do to have that last treatment of proton therapy.  

Aperture

Aperture

A metal block containing a hole through which the radiation ( proton) beam passes. Each portal for each patient requires a custom-made aperture. The shape of the hole is the approximate shape of the target being treated by the beam. Every patient has her or his own set of apertures, and no other patients use them.

My MRI and CT Scan created my aperture by allowing the technicians to know the size of my prostate.  The purple above in this example could be my prostate.  If you look at my prostate and look at the picture above in the actual room where the apertures are created see how they look the same.  The proton beam passes through my aperture and treats my prostate.  My treatment treats my prostate and only my prostate.  Spares the other organs which mean less side affects and more quality of life after treatment.  Hope this helps you understand the procedure.

Then when you throw in the physics of this procedure the radiation beam (proton) releases the bulk of its power when it hits the tumor.  I understand nothing about physics.  In fact, I don't ever remember taking any physics class while in high school and I know I didn't take any in college (cause I picked the classes I wanted to enroll in).  

Only 11 More

I'm on the home stretch.  Only 11 more treatments  of proton radiation left (11, the number of World Series Championships won by my baseball team, the Cardinals)  until I can ring the bell.  When you undergo proton radiation after the last treatment you are able to come out to the lobby and ring the bell to signify that you are finished with all of your treatments.  I have seen several people ring that bell and I can tell you they must have some very long screws in the wall the way some people ring that bell.  Heck, they may have bolts in the concrete to keep that bell stable.  I plan on ringing that bell long and hard on my last day, August 19th.  Once this week is finished I'll only have 6 treatments left.  My doctor informed me that I could have two treatments the last day, one early in the morning and then one late in the afternoon.  Thank you.

Some of you may want to know that I'm having almost 'no' side affects from the treatments.  I may be a little tired but really I can tell you I'm feeling great.  How do we know if the treatments are working, well, 3 months after I'm finished my first PSA test will inform us of the results.  We are hoping for a drop.  All patients I have visited with tell me their PSA dropped so I'm going with the averages, 100% have a lower PSA.  Isn't it funny that for the last few years it has been stated that we are doing too many PSA tests.  And now, after treatments, the only test to monitor your cancer is the PSA.  Get your PSA tested today, do not wait, call for an appointment now.  (Men)

Patty and I usually are up early in the morning, have a light breakfast with coffee and then take off on a 3-4 mile walk which includes walking the mall that is right next door to the hotel.  It took us a few weeks to get our routine down but now if we are unable to get that walk in we don't quite feel right.

After the walk, usually I go for my treatment to ProCure.  This usually takes about an hour or longer depending upon how many people are at the Cancer Center, it always neat to meet new friends and patients at the center.  Most of the prostate stories are very similar.  The actual radiation from start to finish is only 70 seconds, I have counted it many times.  After treatment we have a quick lunch, I put in time checking in at work then we try to have something planned in the later part of the afternoon to finish off the day.

Thank goodness for the Olympics this week, there has been 'zero' on TV the last few weeks, and the Cardinals are losing so baseball isn't even fun to watch.  The next 14 days will tell if the Cardinals make the playoffs or not, oh yea, we have won the Central division the last 4 years.  Just saying.........................

I'd like to say thank you to everyone, family and friends for your thoughts and prayers.  They do make a difference.

Thank you, Protonmax.

Life Just Isn't

Life isn't about keeping score.  It's not about how many people call you and it's not about who you've dated, are dating or haven't dated at all.  It isn't about who you've kissed, what sport you play, or which guy or girl likes you.  It's not about your shoes or your hair or the color of your skin or where you live or go to school.  In fact, it's not about grades, money, clothes, or colleges that accept you or not.  Life isn't about if you have lots of friends, or if you are alone, and it's not about how accepted or unaccepted you are.  Life just isn't about that.

But life is about who you love and who you hurt.  It's about how you feel about yourself.  It's about trust, happiness and compassion.  It's about sticking up for your friends and replacing inner hate with love.  Life is about avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance and building confidence.  It's about what you say and what you mean.  It's about seeing people for who they are and not what they have most of all, it is about choosing to use your life to touch someone else's in a way that could never have been achieved otherwise.  These choices are what life's about.

                      Author Unknown

Graduation last week

Graduation last week was another emotional time.  Several adult graduates thanked everyone for the superior treatment they received from the employees at ProCure.  All of them were so thankful to find Proton Therapy and ProCure.  The room was full last Wednesday and my treatment was after the program and the therapists in my treatment room stated that this was the fullest they had ever seen the graduation room.  In fact, most of them did not even eat because the room was so full.  The testimonies were so surreal, you just can't believe this place, I'm serious.

Across from Patty and I at the graduation luncheon was one of the first patients to be treated. Once I left for my treatment Patty and him discussed how he found ProCure.  I believe he drove by this place wondering what was being built.  In fact, he even went and knocked on the back door to find out what was going to be installed in this building.  He found out it was a cancer treatment facility.  Lo and behold, several months later he was diagnosis with prostate cancer.  Yes you know it, he came back to ProCure during regular working hours and investigated Proton Therapy.  He was treated and is doing fine, he was so glad he took the initiative and knocked on that back door.

Another young child's story was told.  This time a family from Spain.  Ivan was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 9 months old.  Today he is 6 years old.  His father told us the history and the story of Ivan.  The father literally recited every treatment Ivan had, every type of therapy, told there was no hope and sent home twice to die.  It seemed like this young boy's treatments took 10 minutes to tell.  How strong is this boy, the strongest I know along with his parents.  They stay at the Staybridge Suites so we have seen them everyday.

All the young children have videos played to music.  They show pictures of the kids throughout their journey of dealing with the cancer.  These kids are just normal children until this disease gets a hold.  Ivan's video included a picture showing him being blessed by the Pope.  I just can't imagine going through over 5 years of treatments, therapies, doctors, insurance companies, hospitals and everything that goes with cancer.  They are truly saints to keep the fight going, and they have never, ever given up.  (Jimmy V)

Hug someone that is close to you today, especially a child.  Then say a prayer.

Protonmax.

Which body would you want to be?

Benefits of Proton Therapy

Proton treatment is different from conventional x-ray radiation in that the energy distribution of protons  can be directed and deposited in tissue volumes designated by the physicians-in a three dimensional pattern from each beam used. It uses a beam of charged protons to target and destroy a more precise, defined area of cancerous cells. Unlike standard radiation, proton therapy delivers radiation energy only at the defined site of the tumor-not along the path through the body. This means that proton therapy spares significantly more surrounding healthy tissue and organs and produces fewer side effects for patients. Proton therapy also allows physicians to penetrate deeper tumors because higher levels of radiation can be used without fear of impact on surrounding healthy tissue.

Proton beam radiation is especially useful in the treatment of pediatric brain cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and cancers of the spine. Because of the location of these tumors or proximity to vital organs, these cancers are more challenging to treat with standard radiation. 

What is Proton Therapy

What is Proton Therapy?

Proton beam therapy is a sophisticated method of delivering radiation to attack cancerous tumors. The characteristics of the proton beam is different than x-ray, or photon radiation in its ability to control the release the majority of the energy at the end of the beam's path acting like a"smart bomb", unleashing its destructive forces at a precise point with less damage to the surrounding healthy tissues, including those along the beam's path to the tumor. This precision enabled a higher dose of radiation to be used on the tumor while causing less damage to healthy cells and structures.

The science of proton therapy

Both standard x-ray therapy and proton beams work on the same principle of selective cell destruction. All tissues are made up of molecules with atoms as their building blocks. In the center of every atom is the nucleus. Orbiting the nucleus of the atom are negatively charged electrons. When energized charged particles, such as protons or other forms of radiation, pass near orbiting electrons, the positive charge of the protons attracts the negatively charged electrons, pulling them out of their orbits. This is called ionization; it changes the characteristics of the atom and consequentially the character of the molecule within which the atom resides. This crucial change is the basis for the beneficial aspects of all forms of radiation therapy. Because of ionization, the radiation damages molecules within the cells, especially the DNA or genetic material. Damaging the DNA destroys specific cell functions, particularly the ability to divide or proliferate. Enzymes develop with the cells and attempt to rebuild the injured areas of the DNA; however, if damage from the radiation is too extensive, the enzymes fail to adequately repair the injury. While both normal and cancerous cells go through this repair process, a cancer cell's ability to repair molecular injury is frequently inferior. As a result, cancer cells sustain more permanent damage and subsequent cell death than occurs in the normal cell population. This permits selective destruction of bad cells growing among good cells. 

A Mom Living with Stage 4 Colon Cancer

 Below is an article from the Lincoln Journal Star:

Abbey Schnell remembers texting a friend before her colonoscopy. “I’ll be fine,” she wrote. “This is what old people go through...” And Abbey was young. She’d just had a baby. Remy was 2 weeks old; her son Urijah was not quite 2. The 25-year-old woke from the procedure that day in 2012 to news she never expected. The blood in her stools wasn’t caused by hemorrhoids after all; she had stage 4 colon cancer. Abbey had chemo and radiation and surgery to remove her rectum and 13 inches of her colon. She had a permanent colostomy. She had more chemo. She’s still having chemo, a maintenance drug and not a cure, after discovering two years ago that the cancer had spread to her lungs. It’s Tuesday, the day before Abbey’s every-other-week chemo, a three-hour appointment that will leave her down for days. Which means she’ll work long hours early in the week from home in her job in insurance underwriting so she doesn’t get behind. And she’ll plan meals ahead so her boys can still eat well. And on Sunday, she’ll play sand volleyball at Spike’s with her husband, Adam, like always. She’ll be good. She’ll be Abbey. That’s her goal: To live her life. She wrote about that in a third-person essay last year. “Abbey wants to provide the most normal life she can for her boys while she is still here and that is one reason she continues to work and fight …” She sent her story to The Colon Club, a nonprofit focused on colon cancer patients younger than 50 with one goal: to educate as many people as possible, as early as possible. For 10 years, the organization had published the Colondar, a calendar featuring 12 colorectal cancer patients -- all younger than 50 at their diagnosis.

The calendars showed the faces and scars of survivors, taking away the stigma, said Krista Wilson, president of The Colon Club’s board of directors. But they wanted to do more, and in 2015 began publishing in-depth stories of survivors in an annual magazine, Colondar 2.0. Twelve four-page spreads with plenty of photos and the hard details of life with colon cancer. Abbey got a phone call this spring, telling her she had been selected, and in June she was on a plane to Nashville. It was easy to choose the young mom from Nebraska, Krista says. “She is amazing. People can connect with Abbey by looking at the way she handles things … and seeing there is hope for me.” Abbey spent five days with 11 other colon cancer survivors at a retreat in the woods outside of the city. “It was really weird, the bond we already had even though we were strangers, it felt like an instant brotherhood.” She pauses. “And sisterhood.” It was her first time away from her sons, she says from the living room of a cozy ranch with a garden out back in the middle of Lincoln. Urijah, 5, is on the carpet playing with his Happy Meal toys. Remy, 3, is watching YouTube videos. Two boys who love to wrestle with their dad, who's home from work and on the couch with his family. And Abbey, Abbey looks healthy. She looks happy. She calls herself the “momager” of the household. She calls Adam, the man she met while she was a junior at Southwest High School, her researcher. And her rock. His wife is the strong one, Adam says. “Through the whole thing, it’s not got her down.” Abbey doesn’t look down. Or sick. She wears extensions in her dark hair. Her toenails are painted pink. Her life’s philosophy is inked across her right ankle: Hope for the best. Expect the worst. Take what you get. Her grandpa’s words, she says. Tattooed before her diagnosis. He died of colon cancer, an old man. She’d never thought about her family history or worried about symptoms.

She wishes now she’d worried more. Pushed her doctor to do testing when she noticed the blood during her pregnancy. Pushed her oncologist for a biopsy when the spot on her lung -- so small, probably nothing -- showed up in early testing. “Really push your doctor and know your family history,” she says now. “I really wish I would have kept on my doctors more.” Instead, she shares her story, at the zoo on National Cancer Day, during Colon Cancer Awareness Month at CHI St. Elizabeth, any time anyone asks. Her oldest son knows she has cancer, Abbey says. She’s not sure he understands what that means. Her dad died of lung cancer while she was sick, and he knows Papa Jeff is gone. You have cancer, he says. Why didn’t you die? Abbey has an answer to that: Because she is living. She is creating memories. 

She has a message: Know your body. Know when something isn’t right. Cancer isn’t the end. Learn from it. Take what you get. “Don’t give up. Keep going and living the life you still have.” 

One in 10 colorectal cancers is diagnosed in people under 50. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. 

Know your body: Signs include blood in stool, weight loss, severe abdominal cramping, change in stool (constipation or diarrhea). 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things to take from this article:

• Know your body
• Investigage
• Push your doctor
• Investigate
• Obtain a 2nd opinion
• Investigate
• Ask questions
• Investigate
• Never stop learning
• Investigate
• Never, ever give up

These are the things I did and they all helped me find Proton Therapy at ProCure and I'm so glad I did.  See you all real soon.

Every Morning at the Staybridge Suites

Remember in an earlier post I stated back in the good old days I would of paid for my hotel room by drinking the cost of the room on free beer nights, well, every morning look what shows up out front of the hotel:

Tribute to Sam Foltz

Tribute to Sam Foltz

I checked the blog and found out the link didn't take when I posted the last post.  So above is the link to 10/11 news and the tribute sports reporter Kevin Sjuts gave to his friend and Nebraska punter Sam Foltz.

Also, I have opened up the blog to everyone, so you should not need the invite to read and see my blog.  Please share with everyone.  I think you can find my blog by using Protonmax at blogger.com.

Week Five

Oklahoma City-week five.  Patty and I awoke early this morning for the trip down to Oklahoma City and ProCure.  This is week five of treatments.  In fact, as I'm writing this treatment #24 is complete.  I was able to get right in and the treatment went fantastic.

Being honest, this is hump week.  When I started these treatments I kept telling myself if I could just get July to go by fast, well the last of July is here and I can't wait.  When this week is done, I'll have completed 28 treatments.  It's all down hill after this week.  I know August will fly by. Total treatments 44.

Anyhow, another week of treatments begin, they are starting to add up.  Only 20 more trips to ProCure and I will have completed my last treatment for Prostate Cancer.  I'm really feeling good. No side effects and last week while Shane was here with me my energy level was high.  I had a great week with Shane, we put in a lot events and saw a lot of things in such a short amount of time.  Thank you Shane.  He back in Hastings Nebraska working at Hastings College getting ready for those college students.  Good luck and have a great year Shane.

Such a tragic weekend for the Nebraska football team.  Senior punter Sam Foltz was killed in a car wreck in Wisconsin.  Life is so fragile,  I have a link to a tribute the 10/11 sportscaster did on the life of Sam Flotz, take a quick peek at the link it only takes 2 minutes.  What a great young man.  He's #27 in the picture below and this was a tweet he sent out just last week.  We need more young men like him.  RIP.

Kevin Sjults Shares Memory of Sam Foltz

Sam's tweet about a week ago, what a quote.

Sam Foltz ‏@samfoltz27  Jul 19

You never know who's watching.. What impact do you wanna leave on the next generation to aspire too?! #DreamBig

Life goes on, treatments go on, the sun comes up and sets in the evening. No one ever said it would be easy.

I heart Protons!

It has been a great week down here in Oklahoma with my Dad!

Today was the "Wednesday Graduation" luncheon at ProCure and it was a packed house. I have enjoyed learning more about Proton Therapy throughout Max's journey, so today it was nice to spend some time with the ProCure family and hear the cancer stories of his fellow patients.

A portion of today's program was devoted to advocacy for Proton Therapy. If you're like me, I had never heard of Proton Therapy before my dad's diagnosis and subsequent treatment decision. I'm not sure why that is, but I know I will do my part to be an advocate for this form of treatment.

Last year, the Oklahoma legislature passed a bill prohibiting the denial of coverage of Proton therapy.  That's great for OK - let's get one passed in KS & NE and everywhere else! 

Knowledge is power! As more and more people come to understand the life-enhancing benefits of ProtonTherapy, hopefully the insurance companies will stop playing games with patients opting for this form of treatment.

I'm doing my part as a family advocate by wearing my "I heart Protons" bracelet - please share this blog with anyone you know who may be making a decision regarding their prostate cancer treatment and may be unaware of Proton therapy as an option!

Why you need to get the PSA test

Why should you or someone you know get their PSA tested?  Go to the link below to know why (Life).  This is why I listened to my mom, God bless her, she always told us boys to get our PSA tested whenever we had our blood tested.

I may not have done everything that my mom told me to do, ok, I didn't do a lot of things my mom told me but getting my PSA tested was one thing that I did, faithfully.  And it may have saved my life.  Shane, who is with me this week in OKC, noticed this TV news article on NBC news as we were drinking our evening beer in the lobby of Staybridge Suites.  I have watched it and want to pass it along to you now:

PSA Test, Hell Yes

You or someone you love or know does not want Advanced Prostate Cancer.  Recently some reports stated that doctors were ordering too many PSA tests, I DON'T THINK SO!

My stage of prostate cancer was a T1C and my gleason score was a 3 + 3 = 6.  Very early stage, catching this cancer or any cancer early is very important.  Catching prostate cancer early almost has a 100% survival rate. (See the link)

I'll take my chances on the PSA test and you should too.  I like those odds, almost 100% is pretty darn good.

Tomorrow, another graduation, and Shane has stated he will write the graduation blog for me.

Wednesday Graduation-Very Special

Ghost-writing again for Max...('cause it pays so well). Week #4 was another interesting week... Max & I attended another "graduation" luncheon this week. Every one of these is a emotional, humbling, gratitude-to-God experience. This week a little girl named Humaira from London graduated among about 5 others. We got to know Humaira at Staybridge Suites where she, her parents and little brother have been staying since the middle of May while she is receiving proton radiation for a brain tumor. She has lost all of her hair due to chemo treatments and is anesthetized every day for her proton treatment, but smiles more than any person I know! One of the other graduates (a middle-aged lady) had the mike at the luncheon, speaking about her journey and broke down...Little Humaira (about 6 years old) runs up to her from out of the crowd and hugs her legs, consoling this lady by telling her everything was going to be all right! Everyone was reaching for their luncheon napkins. Yep, all of life comes into perspective when you spend an hour every day at ProCure.

We also spent one evening with some other ProCure patients at the Cattlemen's Steakhouse which is the oldest restaurant in Oklahoma (over 100 years old) and located where the old ancient stockyards were. While there we could just about visualize the rugged cowboys on their horses driving in the herds of cattle in a cloud of dust.

Shane is going down with Max this week and will be celebrating his 30th birthday in OKC while I go back to work. We continue to feel humbled by all the support from our family, friends and colleagues...you are all so awesome and we are blessed to have you in our lives.

The link below is her video at the Graduation Luncheon.

Max will  have 18 treatments completed at the end of this week.  26 more treatments to go.




Humaira

Jimmy V Foundation - Craig Sager's Speech at the ESPY's

If you missed Craig Sager's acceptance speech for the Jimmy V award last evening during the ESPY awards below is the link, this is how we feel after the Proton Graduation Celebrations each Wednesday at noon.  

Live each minute to it's fullest.  

It is worth you time to watch his speech, 20 minutes.  Use the link below or just find it on You Tube. If time allows go back and watch Jimmy V's speech during the very first ESPY awards.  

They both are fantastic.  

Craig Sager

Jimmy V

How Proton Radiation Kills Cancer Cells

Proton beams are a form of particle beam radiation. Protons are positively charged parts of atoms. They release their energy only after traveling a certain distance and cause little damage to the tissues they pass through. This makes them very good at killing cells at the end of their path. So, proton beams are thought to be able to deliver more radiation to the cancer while doing less damage to nearby normal tissues.

How Norman Radiation Kills Cancer Cells

How does radiation work to treat cancer?

Radiation is energy that’s carried by waves or a stream of particles. Radiation works by damaging the genes (DNA) in cells. Genes control how cells grow and divide. When radiation damages the genes of cancer cells, they can’t grow and divide any more. Over time, the cells die. This means radiation can be used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.

The cell cycle

To understand how radiation works as a cancer treatment, it helps to know the normal life cycle of a cell. The cell cycle has 5 phases, one of which is the actual splitting of the cell. When a cell splits, or divides, into 2 cells, it’s called mitosis. This 5-phase process is controlled by proteins known as cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Because CDKs are so important to normal cell division, they too have a number of control mechanisms.

The cell cycle

G0 = Cell rests (it’s not dividing) and does its normal work in the body
G1 = RNA and proteins are made for dividing
S = Synthesis (DNA is made for new cells)
G2 = Apparatus for mitosis is built
M = Mitosis (the cell divides into 2 cells)

Steps of the cell cycle

G0 phase (resting stage): The cell has not yet started to divide. Cells spend much of their lives in this phase, carrying out their day-to-day body functions, not dividing or preparing to divide. Depending on the type of cell, this stage can last for a few hours or many years. When the cell gets the signal to divide, it moves into the G1 phase.

G1 phase: The cell gets information that determines if and when it will go into the next phase. It starts making more proteins to get ready to divide. The RNA needed to copy DNA is also made in this phase. This phase lasts about 18 to 30 hours.

S phase: In the S phase, the chromosomes (which contain the genetic code or DNA) are copied so that both of the new cells to be made will have the same DNA. This phase lasts about 18 to 20 hours.

G2 phase: More information about if and when to proceed with cell division is gathered during this phase. The G2 phase happens just before the cell starts splitting into 2 cells. It lasts from 2 to10 hours.

M phase (mitosis): In this phase, which lasts only 30 to 60 minutes, the cell actually splits into 2 new cells that are exactly the same.

Cells and radiation

The cell cycle phase is important because usually radiation first kills the cells that are actively dividing. It doesn’t work very quickly on cells that are in the resting stage (G0) or are dividing less often. The amount and type of radiation that reaches the cell and the speed of cell growth affect whether and how quickly the cell will die or be damaged. The termradiosensitivity describes how likely the cell is to be damaged by radiation.

Cancer cells tend to divide quickly and grow out of control. Radiation therapy kills cancer cells that are dividing, but it also affects dividing cells of normal tissues. The damage to normal cells causes unwanted side effects. Radiation therapy is always a balance between destroying the cancer cells and minimizing damage to the normal cells.

Radiation doesn’t always kill cancer cells or normal cells right away. It might take days or even weeks of treatment for cells to start dying, and they may keep dying off for months after treatment ends. Tissues that grow quickly, such as skin, bone marrow, and the lining of the intestines are often affected right away. In contrast, nerve, breast, brain, and bone tissue show later effects. For this reason, radiation treatment can cause side effects that might not be seen until long after treatment is over.

Cattleman's Club Oklahoma City

ProCure patients and staff went to the Cattlemen's Club on Tuesday evening.  Notice, this was not a gentlemen's club but a Cattlemen's Club.  Old stockyards of Oklahoma City.  Real cool location and the food was fantastic.  If this place could only talk, the history and the things this place has seen, oh my.  Cattle drives from all over Oklahoma brought their herds to slaughter here.

Over 40 people attended, if you are ever in Oklahoma City look it up and go there, nothing fancy, just great food.  Place hasn't changed much over the years.  I bet there were gun fights out in the street during the good old days.  Make sure to go if you are coming through Oklahoma City, it's right off the interstate.

Had four other prostate patients at our table.  The stories are just remarkable.  All four had the options for treatment laid out for them and none of those options included proton therapy.  Why?

Because no one knows.  If you have others who would like to know more about proton therapy and would like to read this blog, shoot me their email address and I will invite them.  You need to know more about proton therapy, no kidding.

Dam, we missed the free beer at the hotel.  Oh well, we were able to see history.

Every state has its historic places and stories, but few can equal the story of Cattlemen's Steakhouse, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Oklahoma City!

Cattlemen's Cafe opened its doors to hungry cowboys, ranchers, cattle haulers and the like in 1910. The Stockyards City area was a beehive of activity back then, as herds of cattle were driven to Oklahoma City in an unending stream to satisfy the East's growing demand for beef. By 1926, Stockyards City was the home of two major meat processors and the area became known as "Packing Town." It was in 1926 that H.V. 'Homer" Paul took over Cattlemen's, already a well-known establishment among the area's thousands of workers. Cattlemen's was one of the few places that stayed open after sundown. Because of this, it also attracted a very colorful clientele. During Prohibition, it was known for its home-brewed 'liquid delights.'

In 1945, Cattlemen's was owned by Hank Frey, a gambler of sorts. In a smoke-filled room at the old Biltmore Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City, Frey was running out of luck and money in a dice game attended by a local rancher, Mr. Gene Wade. Frey put up Cattlemen's as the pot if Wade could roll a 'hard six,' otherwise known as two 3s. Wade put up his life savings, which was a sizable amount of money. With one roll of the dice, Gene Wade was in the restaurant business. The '33' brand on the wall of Cattlemen's Hereford Room became a well-known symbol of Wade's good fortune.

A look at the ceiling beams shows the growth of Cattlemen's. Starting out with cafe on the north side, which remains virtually unchanged after 50 years, Gene expanded southward a few feet at a time until he ran out of building. The South Dining Room and the Hereford Room are a bit fancier - a perfect place for a fellow to take his best girl (or his wife) for a steak dinner. Two backlit murals cover the southern and western wall of the dining rooms, photos of Gene and his father, two gentlemen ranchers rounding up cattle, both sporting jackets and ties.

Since 1945, Cattlemen's Steakhouse has become a gathering place for all kinds of folks - from movie stars to rodeo greats, politicians to potentates! Check the walls of the dining rooms and view the drawings of all the well-knowns who have sampled Cattlemen's fare. Gene Autry, John Wayne, Charles Barkley, Ronald Reagan (before he was President), and more recently, Reba McEntire. In the early '90s, George Bush (the elder, while he was President) stopped in for a good meal and a stiff drink.  And also Proton Therapy patient Max Searcey.  (There, got my name mentioned with some pretty prominent individuals).

The Daily Balloon

Well, I finally will share with you my daily routine of the balloon. A little uncomfortable but no pain. I had to laugh, one of the nurses told me one guy said it felt like a tree trunk up you know where.  Really doesn't and now you know.  See info below why and I'm sure glad they use it to control the prostate from moving during treatment.  The call letters are BOB, Brotherhood of the Balloon which I am now a full time member.  

IMMOBILOC

Daily Rectal Balloon

Rectal gas, peristalsis, and breathing result in internal movement of the prostate. The ImmobiLoc prostate immobilization device immobilizes the Prostate internally, allowing for more accurate and reproducible treatment.
Radiation Therapy technology uses sophisticated systems to deliver radiation to the prostate while minimizing the dose to the surrounding healthy tissue, such as bowel, bladder, urethra, and rectum. Clinicians take great care to keep the patient still during radiation treatment so the radiation is delivered directly to the prostate and not the surrounding healthy tissue. Rectal gas and peristalsis (wave like muscle movements of the bowel), result in internal movement during treatment. Clinicians utilize the ImmobiLoc, immobilization device, also referred to as an Endo Rectal Balloon, to stabilize the prostate and account for internal movement related to rectal gas and peristalsis

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT

The balloon tip is actually smaller than a Physician’s finger routinely used for digital rectal exams (laugh, they call it a digital rectal exam, the doctor using his finger, nothing digital about that), and therefore the discomfort is minimal. Most patients describe the experience as a light pressure sensation once the balloon is inflated.

The balloon insertion only takes a few minutes. Once the balloon is inserted, the healthcare provider will inflate to a prescribed fill volume, and any adjustments to the device will be made. After treatment, the device is gently removed and discarded. A rectal balloon should never be reused (I hope not), as the product is cleared by the FDA as a single use only device.

Remember, the positive effects the ImmobiLoc rectal balloon offers far outweigh the formalities of the insertion of the device, and these balloons have been extensively studied and used for many years.

Week Four Coming Up

It was really nice to be home over the weekend.  Patty and I both spent time at work on Saturday and then the two grand girls came for a visit on Sunday after Church.  It was the second Sunday that our new Priest was here at St. Gregory's.  I haven't met him yet as he really has only been here 8 days but he sure seems like a very nice pastor.

I remember Sunday afternoons or evenings when I was going to college.  If I came home for a weekend I always had to get ready for that 2+ hour trip back to Fremont.  You know when you spend the weekend at home around family and friends it sure is hard to pack up and get back in that car for that drive home.  I'm kind of feeling that way tonight, it was great being home and now after only 48 hours we have get back into that car and head south to Oklahoma again.  July is going to be a long month.

On the bright side though, I have prostate cancer.  If you are going to get a cancer (and would not wish that on anyone) prostate cancer is a real curable one to get.  Usually, something other than the cancer will get you before the prostate cancer does, in other words you'll die of something else.  You know when you hear that 'C' word a lot of thoughts go through your mind in a heck of a hurry.  I remember the call:  my urologist's PA called and said the right side is fine but two of the eight cores on the left came back positive, cancer.  I had to stop and think, did she really say cancer, really me, cancer.  Luckily I was at work and the call came in the early afternoon and I just cleared my mind the best I could and helped customers.  Came home told Patty and she just told me we'd hit this thing head on and beat it.  And beat it we will, thanks Patty.

Didn't sleep much that night and had a pretty good conversation with the man upstairs.  Oh how he has helped me through this and several others moments of truth in my life.  I do believe in God.  And God is not Dead.

There feeling better all ready.  Week four, five treatments this week.  I will be at 18 after the early one on Friday morning.  44-18 = 26 left after Friday.  Actually, 15 more treatments this month, so after the month of July I will have only 16 treatments remaining in the month of August.  I told you July was going to be a long month.

Thank you to the employees of First Commerce Bank, you are the best.  I know this week you will perform at the top of your game.  Sorry I won't be there to help, but you know you can call me anytime.

History of the Proton

HISTORY OF PROTON BEAM THERAPY

1929 Cyclotron invented by Ernest O. Lawrence as a way to accelerate nuclear particles to very high speeds. 1930s 60-inch cyclotron built at Berkeley Radiation Laboratory with financing from the late William H. Crocker, a University of California regent. Machine is used in creation of seven new elements. 1939 Lawrence wins Nobel Prize in physics for invention of cylotron. 1946 Lawrence protégée Robert R. Wilson, a professor of physics at Harvard and designer of Harvard's cyclotron, first proposes using protons for the treatment of cancer. 1948 Berkeley Radiation Laboratory conducts extensive studies on protons and confirms predictions made by Wilson. 1954 First patient treated with protons at Berkeley Radiation Laboratory. 1957 Treatment successfully duplicated on patients in Uppsala, Sweden. 1950s Lawrence offers 60-inch cyclotron to John Jungerman, who would become the founding director of the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory at UC Davis. In collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., the Berkeley machine is modified to a 76-inch cyclotron. 1961 Harvard treats first patient in its cyclotron. 1964 Magnets built at Berkeley Radiation Laboratory (renamed the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) move to Davis. The Crocker Nuclear Laboratory at UC Davis is dedicated in 1966. 1970s Atomic Energy Commission cuts off funding for nuclear facilities at universities. UC Davis cyclotron survives by finding new applications for cyclotron science in areas such as air quality, testing historical documents, food safety and cancer treatment. 1972 UC Davis cyclotron team develops the first method for making pure iodine-123, employed in thyroid imaging and to detect tumors. 1974 Los Alamos National Laboratory cyclotron treats first patient with pi-meson beam. 1975 Use of ionized particle beams to treat eye cancers pioneered by team of scientists using the Harvard cyclotron. 1978 UCSF and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory team begins clinical trials of choroidal melanoma treatment with ionized helium beam. 1980s UC Davis cyclotron used by historians and archaeologists to analyze chemistry of ink and paper without damaging documents, dates a copy of Gutenberg Bible to within three days. 1988 Proton therapy approved by FDA as radiation-treatment option for certain tumors. 1990 Loma Linda University opens first hospital-based proton-beam clinic. The 250 MeV machine is designed and built by Fermilab, where Wilson was the founding director, with $19.6 million in federal funding. 1992 Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's clinical treatment program ends with closure of its Bevatron cyclotron. More than 2,500 patients had been treated at the lab since 1954. 1994 Timothy R. Renner, Ph.D., Proton Eye Treatment Facility established at Crocker Nuclear Laboratory at UC Davis. 1999 UC Davis Cancer Center and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory establish formal research partnership to apply defense technology to cancer research — the first such agreement between a major cancer center and a national laboratory. 2000 UC Davis Cancer Center and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory begin work on a compact proton-beam therapy system. The two institutions eventually contribute $3 million in funding to support George Caporaso's work. 2001 Northeast Proton Therapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital treats first patient. 2006 June: $125 million, 94,000-squarefoot Proton Therapy Center at MD Anderson in Houston opens to patients. August: Caporaso reports on compact proton-beam therapy system at the 19th International Conference on the Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry in Fort Worth.

Ghostbusters

So Thursday, Beau and I decided to rest in the late afternoon before we headed to Bricktown (fantastic place by the way) to watch the Omaha Stormchasers (Royals) vs Oklahoma City Dodgers play a Triple AAA baseball game, by watching Ghostbusters 1.  So I'm about half asleep and there on the screen are the 3 (there it is again) Ghostbusters discussing nuclear molecular energy and out of Dr. Venkman's mouth comes the word 'PROTON'.  This is a movie that came to the theatre in about the year 1984.

All I can say is if Dr. Venkman knows about Protons then it must be true.  I trust this face.  No kidding, they talk about protons in this movie and the others as well.  Could not believe my ears.

In the Ghostbusters universe[edit]

The proton pack, designed by Dr. Egon Spengler, is a man-portable particle accelerator system that is used to create a charged particle beam - composed of protons - that is fired by the proton gun (also referred to as the "neutrona wand"^{[citation needed]}). Described in the first movie as a "positron collider", it functions by colliding high-energy positrons to generate its proton beam. The beam allows a Ghostbuster to contain and hold "negatively charged ectoplasmic entities". This containment ability allows the wielder to position a ghost above a trap for capture.^[3] The name proton pack is not used in the original movie at all,^[4] and is not used until the subway tunnel scene in Ghostbusters II, when Egon says that they should get their proton packs. The doorman to the Mayor's mansion also uses the term proton pack, asking the Ghostbusters if he can buy one from them for his little brother. Egon replies that "A proton pack is not a toy".

While the Ghostbusters' dialogue indicates that the accelerator system operates similarly to a cyclotron (and indeed Dr. Peter Venkman refers to the proton packs in one scene as "unlicensed nuclear accelerators"),^[3] modern particle accelerators produce well collimated particle beams.^[5] This is far different from the beam from a proton pack, which tends to undulate wildly (though it still stays within the general area at which the user is aiming). The proton stream is quite destructive to physical objects, and can cause extensive property damage.^[3]