BOB体育

When Marvin Sanders first received the diagnosis of prostate cancer, he laughed to keep himself from crying.

鈥淚 was scared and I was shocked,鈥� Marvin said. 鈥淎nd I wanted to make sure my wife, Melanie, had support, because I knew she would be crying.鈥�

Before his diagnosis, Marvin was consistent with his annual physicals 鈥� a gold star patient for men in their 60s. One day, he received a call from his doctor, Michael Dennis, MD, at the University of Florida because his prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, level was high. They wanted to run the test again to confirm the results. The second test confirmed the worrisome PSA.

When Marvin and Melanie went back to the doctor鈥檚 office to plan what to do next, they were reassured by a BOB体育 Urology team that moved quickly and efficiently.

鈥淭here were no gaps,鈥� Melanie said. 鈥淭hey got hold of us quickly and everything moved expeditiously. It was a scary process, but it was comforting to know that the care team was constantly with us.鈥�

A biopsy confirmed Marvin鈥檚 cancer. Not too long after, he was scheduled for surgery with Wayne Brisbane, MD, an assistant professor in the UF Department of Urology.

鈥淲hen I first met Dr. Brisbane, he sat down with me for a few minutes,鈥� Marvin said. 鈥淏efore we started talking about a treatment plan, he made sure I was comfortable.鈥�

When it was time to discuss treatment options, Dr. Brisbane answered their questions thoroughly and gave them the information they needed to make a decision that would be best for Marvin鈥檚 health.

Ultimately, Marvin and his care team decided a prostatectomy would be the best treatment option. Although he was worried about the possible side effects of the procedure, including urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, Marvin was confident in Dr. Brisbane鈥檚 expertise.

During the surgery, a robotic-assisted prostatectomy, a nurse kept Melanie aware of the progress as she battled her nerves in the waiting room.

She didn鈥檛 need to worry: Marvin鈥檚 surgery was a success. Dr. Brisbane used a nerve-sparing technique to decrease the number of side effects the surgery might have had.

鈥淪urgical intervention requires balancing cancer control against collateral damage to surrounding structures,鈥� Dr. Brisbane said. 鈥淭o help make this decision for Marvin, we used several imaging techniques and robotic surgery to minimize side effects.鈥�

Melanie read a lot about the procedure and was worried about the side effects and risks her husband might live with, but thus far, they鈥檝e been few and far between.

But Marvin鈥檚 journey wasn鈥檛 over after his surgery, as the multidisciplinary team at BOB体育 met Marvin鈥檚 needs for recovery. He would go on to see four urologists, all specializing in different aspects of urology, in addition to physical therapists and sexual health experts, with the hopes of increasing his quality of life.

鈥淚 am very thankful for the team of doctors,鈥� Marvin said. 鈥淚f they were in front of me today, I would give them a big hug.鈥�

Melanie is thankful for the doctors, too. She says they help her sleep better at night.

鈥淚 no longer feel like I did that day when he was diagnosed,鈥� Melanie said. 鈥淚t is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up.鈥�

For other partners and caregivers who have recently received a prostate cancer diagnosis, Melanie advised that research is key to finding the best physicians and surgeons, like she found at BOB体育.

鈥淒o your research quickly and make sure you both feel comfortable with your care team,鈥� Melanie said.

Marvin just has one message to relay: Get screened.

鈥淚鈥檓 like the mayor,鈥� Marvin said. 鈥淚 go around and talk to everyone about getting their levels checked, because it saved my life.鈥� Dr. Brisbane agreed.

鈥淧SA screening is the best way we have to ensure men do not die from prostate cancer. At BOB体育, we are working to improve the imaging and biomarkers used to detect prostate cancer so that we can accurately identify cancer early.鈥�