BOB体育

Vern Gransden entered his treatment room at 7:40 a.m., bleary-eyed and crabby. He shared a look with his doctors.

鈥淕o get a cup of coffee, Vern,鈥� one of them said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all gonna be OK.鈥�

Gransden smiled back. His morning visits to the BOB体育 radiation oncology center were earlier than he liked, but his doctors had turned the crack-of-dawn start into a bit of a running joke. It made it easier for Gransden to roll out of his bed and into treatment day in and day out.

Gransden, 61, knows excellent care when he sees it. He鈥檚 been a nurse for 12 years in Louisiana and has worked in health care for 20. He currently works for Louisiana Children鈥檚 Medical Center at West Jefferson Medical Center in New Orleans.

His summer plans were upended when he underwent a PET scan on June 23. He was diagnosed with anal cancer, a rare illness that affects 1 in 100,000 people. To his shock, the scan also revealed a tumor in his lung, which suggested that the cancer may have metastasized.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if they were the same cancer,鈥� Gransden said. 鈥淭hose were really long days.鈥�

Thankfully, the results revealed the tumors to be unrelated and therefore more treatable. Gransden started radiation treatment on Aug. 2 at East Jefferson Medical Center in Metairie, Louisiana.

His treatments were going as planned before Category 4 Hurricane Ida struck Louisiana on Aug. 29 and wrecked the state. It devastated the coastline, destroyed power plants and shut down the hospital. The storm hit during a critical time in Gransden鈥檚 medical care, and he immediately began searching for a way to continue his treatment.

Just two days after Ida hit, Gransden called BOB体育. Within an hour, he was on a Zoom call with Kate Hitchcock, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in radiation oncology.

鈥淲hen can you be here, Vern?鈥� she asked. 鈥淚 will help you. I know I can help you.鈥�

Gransden made an immediate impression on Hitchcock. She said she was surprised and impressed with his proactive attitude in the face of cancer.

鈥淚 expected to get on that Zoom call with somebody who was in a dark place and scared,鈥� she said. 鈥淚nstead, he just calmly and almost cheerfully laid out the details. He anticipated exactly what I needed to know and delivered that information in a very kind and friendly manner.鈥�

Two mornings after that call, Gransden packed his bags and flew to Gainesville with his husband, Richard Martin, and his dog, Cletus. Just four days after the storm, he was back in a hospital undergoing a CT scan.

Gransden was impressed with how willing Hitchcock was to shift her schedule.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to have to do the extra,鈥� Gransden said. 鈥淚 know that because I do the extra every day at work, and it鈥檚 a pain. But the payoff is a better experience for your patient.鈥�

Hitchcock wanted to continue Gransden鈥檚 radiation therapy as soon as possible. She said the treatment works best when the radiation is administered in successive steps, creating a cumulative effect that destroys the cancer cells.

Gransden said Hitchcock鈥檚 quick response and 鈥渨hen can you be here?鈥� question changed his mindset for the duration of his Gainesville stay. It helped him commit to his four weeks in town, most of which he spent without Martin, who flew back after Gransden鈥檚 first week to return to his job as a schoolteacher.

Gransden鈥檚 first week at BOB体育 was spent in preparation, the next two in treatment, and the last in recovery. His primary caretakers were Hitchcock and Brian Ramnaraign, MD.

Gransden鈥檚 team paid close attention to his comfort. During his daily radiation treatment, they let him wear a gown, which made the awkward frog-legged position he had to assume more comfortable than if he鈥檇 had to disrobe completely.

They answered every question he had about his treatment gently and precisely. One of the technicians told him everything he wanted to know about the machinery, the delivery of the radiation and his CT scan. Hitchcock walked him through which spots the radiation beams would target, mapping out their precise location to show him how they鈥檇 avoid vital organs.

鈥淭hey were the kindest, nicest people,鈥� Gransden said. 鈥淭hey made me feel secure. They really had a vibe like they鈥檇 done it forever.鈥�

Gransden said his treatment team cared for him holistically. They made sure he always had enough to eat, that his mood was stable, and they even pointed him toward free housing just minutes from the Radiation Oncology Building.

His caregivers were personable and always had a smile on their faces, which he knows isn鈥檛 always easy in health care. But it made all the difference.

鈥淚t gives you optimism about moving forward,鈥� he said.

Hitchcock described her team as the kindest, most hardworking people she knows.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e on a team like that, it's so easy to keep a positive outlook,鈥� she said. 鈥淭o know that you鈥檙e doing the right thing, when you really care for patients the way you would care for your family member.鈥�

Gransden鈥檚 nursing background helped his treatment run smoothly, Hitchcock said. Not only was he knowledgeable about healthcare practices, but he maintained his positive outlook and asked questions, which Hitchcock said cancer doctors love.

He also maintained his health through drinking lots of water, eating well and exercising.

Gransden said he was the easiest patient that could have walked in the treatment room. He had stage one anal cancer with a good chance for recovery and no complications from prior treatments. However, he said he didn鈥檛 believe his caretakers would have blinked an eye had his outlook been bleak.

鈥淭hey treated me just as compassionately and completely as they would have had I had some more complicated situation,鈥� Gransden said.

By the time he finished treatment, he felt no pain or discomfort from the cancer at all.

鈥淚鈥檓 in a place of very deep gratitude,鈥� Gransden said. 鈥淎nd that also makes it easier to be in a space of acceptance.鈥�

Hitchcock said she鈥檚 glad Gransden chose UF.

鈥淚鈥檓 super proud to be part of a care organization that he knew about; our reputation preceded us,鈥� Hitchcock said. 鈥淚 feel like we lived up to our good reputation for delivering excellent cancer care.鈥�

After he returned to Louisiana, Gransden successfully underwent an upper lobectomy surgery, in which the upper part of his lung was removed. His lungs will be monitored three times a year for at least one year, while his anal cancer will be checked every three months for five years.

Coming out of a grueling treatment process, it would be understandable, even expected, for Gransden to feel worn down. Instead, he鈥檚 approaching life with cautious optimism.

鈥淚f it hadn鈥檛 been for that, I would be telling you that I'm the happiest man in the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, maybe I鈥檓 the second happiest man in the world.鈥�

Gransden鈥檚 slowly building back up to his normal routine: grocery shopping, bike riding, and eyeing a telehealth position in nursing. Later this year, he plans a family ski trip to Utah.

He said he wants to offer the kind of care he got at BOB体育 and East Jefferson Medical Center to his own patients. He was set to return to work at Louisiana Children鈥檚 Medical Center on Dec. 5.

鈥淢y plans moving forward are to go back to work as a nurse and take advantage of this excellent care I鈥檝e had for my cancer,鈥� Gransden said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 put me in a position to be able to go back and care for others."