Leif Henecke

One year anniversary...

So, I was just reminded that it was the first week in May a year ago that I started my prostate cancer SBRT radiation treatment at the UVA Cancer Center. It was five treatments over 2 weeks. It almost seems like I'm remembering a very vivid dream... like it really didn't happen.

But it did, and I’m now in the 5-year follow-up process. Periodic PSA test and visits with my Oncologist. My PSA number continues to go down and for all intents and purposes, my body operates exactly as it did before I started this journey.

I feel very lucky… and I feel very guilty sometimes. The mechanics of my treatment plan were so very different from those that other cancer patients must undergo. During my treatments I saw many other patients who were undergoing various forms of cancer treatment and how I looked and felt before and after compared to them left me feeling very guilty.

I would like to say that I am a cancer survivor, but I’m not through the 5-year window yet so I say that I am surviving prostate cancer.

Surviving is a mixed feeling…

It's not personal till it is...

Like so many things in life, it's not really real until it happens to you or someone you care about. In my case it happened to me, and it was not something I expected to have to deal with. I wasn't old, (not to me anyway). I was in pretty good shape and felt fine. Reading the report from my annual physical and seeing that my PSA number had increased over the previous year's number was a shock. I knew immediately that I needed to follow up and find out why the number had gone up.

That started about a year and a half journey through tests, waiting to see how the number changed and finally getting a definitive diagnosis and selecting a treatment plan. Oddly, I wasn’t shocked when I was told that I had prostate cancer. What I wasn’t really prepared for was the myriad of treatment options and strategies that were available for my stage of the disease. Interestingly, each had its pluses and minuses and all the physicians we consulted were advocates of their particular one. In the end, the decision was really left up to us to make based on the risks and side effects we were willing to accept.

Once you have a diagnosis like this, you are forced to become as educated and knowledgeable about your disease as possible in the shortest period of time. I was very lucky to be at the stage of disease progression that offered many possible treatment plans all with very high rates of success.

Early detection is the key. I’m participating in this year’s DGR to spread the word about the importance of early detection and new treatment options.

I'm Riding for Men's Health in The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride

On Sunday the 19th of May 2024, I'm riding in The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride with fellow men and women across the globe to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men's mental health on behalf of Movember.

I was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer in the Fall of 2022 and started treatment in the Spring of 2023. The disease was caught very early and the treatment has been successful so far. I cannot stress enough how important getting an annual physical is and monitoring your PSA level... if it changes, see a Urologist immediately and find out why.

Men die on average 6 years earlier than women and for largely preventable reasons. The number of men that are suffering is growing, and we need to do something about that. So, before I press my tweed and polish my boots, I'm asking you to join me in raising funds and awareness for these causes by donating what you can for this meaningful cause and to help the men we love, live happier and healthier lives.