Creating cancer survivors

A diagnosis of cancer doesn’t have to mean devastation. Thanks to medical advances that allow for early detection, sophisticated treatment methods and teams of dedicated professionals at the Samaritan Cancer Program, hundreds of our loved ones, friends and neighbors are living their lives cancer-free.

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Stan Hagen is a numbers guy — and a bit of jokester, too. Which is why when a routine blood test revealed he had a high prostate-specific antigen level of 114, he knew he was in trouble. The antigen test measures the level of a protein produced by the prostate gland, and many physicians routinely test the antigen levels of men age 50 or older.

Stan, age 50 at the time, joined the nearly 250,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. “I thought I was a goner,” said Stan, “But hey, my cholesterol level was good!”

He embarked on a grueling treatment regimen of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Ten years later, Stan is cured — with many blessings to count, and a lot to laugh about. For this prostate cancer survivor, a little “tumor humor” goes a long way.

By the numbers
Stan has worked as a controller for decades, most currently at Western Oregon University. He’s been married to his wife Jennifer, a special education assistant for Greater Albany Public Schools, for over 38 years. They have a grown son and daughter, as well as three grandchildren and another on the way. Most everyone in the family seems to have an affinity for numbers. Stan does friends’ taxes “for fun,” and his daughter is an accountant.

“We’re also all a bunch of gamblers,” he said of his family. He recently returned from a trip to Vegas where he hit the blackjack tables with his son. In 2002, when his high PSA test results arrived, Stan was floored. “I felt fine,” he recalled. Within a week and a half of getting that PSA number, Stan was in surgery at Samaritan Albany General Hospital.

After surgery, his prostate-specific antigen level was retested, and the results were not as everyone hoped: he still had a level of 15, when it should be zero. Stan was referred to Dr. Peter Kenyon, a Samaritan oncologist with a long history of superb cancer care.

Even though the prospect of chemotherapy was frightening, Stan said, “As soon as I got in with Dr. Kenyon, I had a feeling of confidence.” He tolerated the chemotherapy relatively well, opting to work from home when he felt ill after an infusion. “It was good to keep working, it takes your mind off of it,” he said.

A little tumor humor, if you will
Stan took his chemotherapy treatments at Samaritan’s oncology/infusion services in Albany, in a cozy room with recliners, a bubbling fish tank and natural light pouring in from large windows. Always one for a laugh, he liked to walk into infusion call out, “Look alive, people!” “I fought [cancer] with humor…tumor humor,” he said, noting how much he enjoyed making jokes with oncology care manager Janie Moody, RN, ONC.

All kidding aside, Stan was grateful for the care he received during his chemo sessions. “The infusion center is very comfortable — that comfort makes a difference. The ladies who work there are very good,” he said, adding, “Even with me, the most obnoxious patient!”

After chemo finished, Stan’s antigen level was still not quite low enough for the Samaritan Cancer Program staff, so Dr. Kenyon ordered radiation. Of course the radiation technicians weren’t safe from a good-natured ribbing. “All you do is push a button,” he chided the technicians. “You had to go to college for that?”

Thankfully, after his radiation sessions at Samaritan Regional Cancer Center, Stan’s antigen number was “down to next to nothing.” In other words, exactly where it should be.

Still cracking jokes
Today, at age 60, Stan is cancer-free and enjoying life. He eats a healthy diet and runs 25 to 30 miles a week. He also receives regular injections of a synthetic hormone treatment commonly used with prostate cancer patients. He keeps regular appointments at Samaritan Hematology & Oncology Consultants, where he said oncology nurse practitioner Holly Almond “gets after me to stay healthy.”

As for long-term effects of treatment, he suffers from some bone issues, but says that running helps. “Attitude is a lot of it. Stress and worry weakens your body,” he said. Stan was thoughtful for a moment, then added, “Thinking back on it, I have fond memories of chemo.”

Fond memories? Of chemotherapy?

“It’s because of the people — with Janie, Dr. Kenyon, Holly. They were all very caring,” said Stan. “I tell my wife it must be like childbirth where you forget the pain and focus only on the good. My wife says, ‘Oh no, it’s nothing like having a baby!’”

Stan still attends a prostate cancer support group offered through Samaritan Health Services. “When I first got the diagnosis of cancer, my family was good and supported me. But talking about it to people who have gone through it … it’s what I really needed. I still go. I call it ‘cancer camp.’”

And Vegas always beckons. Recently, Stan and his son have been reading up on blackjack strategy. Have they been able to beat the house? “No,” he laughed. “Just lose less!”

But in terms of beating cancer, the numbers add up: for Stan, life has been a pretty big win.

 
When Lisa Nielsen was told she had cancer at age 43, it seemed like an unbelievable diagnosis.  

“I had slowly developed an abscess on my chin. When a second growth on my jaw line emerged over just two days, I went to my doctor who sent me to be tested for an infection.”  

The culture came back negative but the swelling persisted and Lisa went to the emergency room for a biopsy.

Three days later Lisa got the phone call that she had cancer in the swollen lymph nodes on her neck. Her cancer turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma, the most common type of head and neck cancer.  

Lisa underwent surgery at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, had her lymph nodes removed and then six weeks of radiation therapy at Samaritan Regional Cancer Center.  

Four years after her diagnosis, Lisa still sees a medical oncologist, otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) and physical therapist regularly.  

The unique challenges she faced and the lack of someone to talk to about the experience led Lisa to start a head and neck cancer support group, which she facilitates every month at the cancer center in Corvallis.     

Despite the ongoing doctor’s appointments that remind her of the ordeal, Lisa’s life has pretty much returned to normal. “I’m back to living my life,” she says.




Christina Jacob was breastfeeding her 18-month-old daughter when she discovered a lump. At 30 years old and with no history of breast cancer in her family, Christina wasn’t immediately concerned. But at her next doctor’s appointment she brought up the lump and had it removed. That's when they discovered it was cancer. 

What followed was a visit to Peter Kenyon, MD, at Samaritan Hematology & Oncology Consultants, a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation at Samaritan Regional Cancer Center.  

In addition to her 18-month-old, Delayne, Christina also has a son Austyn, 11 at the time, and a daughter Madysen who was 6 at the time.  

“Telling my kids was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Christina. “We sat them down after school and I said ‘I have something really important to tell you: Mommy’s sick.’ I’ll never forget the worried looks on their faces.”  

Austyn, who had just lost his paternal grandmother to breast cancer, asked, “Are you gonna die?”  

“When Austyn asked me that question I told him ‘I can’t promise anything. But I can promise you I’m going to fight like heck to get better.’”  

Now, Christina has been cancer free for more than a year. She leads a young adult cancer support group at the Samaritan Cancer Resource Center in Albany and volunteers with Relay for Life.  

“It’s really important to me to connect with others who have been affected,” says Christina of her involvement in cancer services in the area. “Cancer doesn’t just happen in older folks. I want to help spread that message.”  



We want to hear from you! Submit your survivor story.