Doug Kroc:

My name is Doug Kroc. I live in Southern Vermont in Dummerston, Vermont. I was a public school teacher for 40 years in the classroom, social studies teacher. I wound up as the Department Head at the Brattleboro Union High School. I have two daughters and two son-in-laws that are like sons to me. And we have five grandchildren.

Ann Kroc:

And the oldest is eight and the youngest is three. And they're all just wonderful. They're all very different. They love their papa and nana. And they just bring so much joy to us.

Doug Kroc:

They live in the Boston area here, so we're very close and very involved in our grandkids' lives. I got an upper respiratory virus that I tend to get in the fall, winter that was fairly severe. I wasn't COVID, but I was having a really tough time with that. And so I had a new doctor. And when I met with my doctor, she said, "Well, let's run some labs," just kind of as a ... Just to check things out. And when it came back, my PSA number was sky high. It was off the charts. And so at that point I knew I had cancer. And they referred me to a urologist in Brattleboro. And they did a biopsy. And it came back that I did in fact have cancer. And my prostate cancer has metastasized into my bones. And the urologist did not have very good communication skills, and did not hold out much hope for me. And that was tough to hear. So I was scared.

In his defense, he was going to refer me to the oncologist at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, who I'm sure I would've gotten good care from. And it's a good hospital. I've had a knee replaced there and so on, and so forth. But I wish he had been a little bit more clear about the fact that there are therapies and treatments that can improve your quality of life and your length of life. And it was really very much like, "Well, we're going to give you hormone therapies, and you got a couple of years. And that's it." One of my daughters is a nurse in Boston Children's. And our two very close friends down the road in Vermont had gone through cancer and had gone to Dana Farber. So right from the very beginning, I knew and my wife Ann knew that we were going to work with Dana Farber.

Ann Kroc:

I remember at first getting that diagnosis how devastating it was. I think I was a little more optimistic about the diagnosis than Doug was. And so it was a big shock to me, especially to hear what his life expectancy might be.

Doug Kroc:

My urologist was not at all hopeful for my future. And when I went to Dana Farber and met with my doctor, Dr. Morgans, she was very surprised that the urologist had said the things that he said to me. And she was very hopeful for my future and what they could do for me. And laid out a treatment plan that made sense to me. And just everybody there is just so caring. And their communication is unbelievable. Just everything about the organization, I can't say enough about in terms of scheduling and how they treat you when you're there.

Ann Kroc:

I'm thankful that we went to Dana Farber. They have just been super, everyone. They're all just so pleasant and positive when you talk to them, and when you are dealing with them at the hospital. They have been great. And I feel very hopeful about Doug's longevity, and very thankful for that.

Doug Kroc:

It was the right decision. And we decided that we were going to do everything at Dana Farber. We weren't going to try and do some things locally in Brattleboro, Vermont, and some things here. And then just add the possibility of miscommunications and, "This doctor said that. And that doctor said this." And so we have been very happy with that decision. Dana Farber has an amazing process of getting into the program. And really, it's as simple as once you've had a diagnosis, you make a phone call. And I just got ... I guess you could say I just got assigned to Dr. Morgans. I didn't know anything about her. I didn't know who they were going to hook me up with. But I felt very confident that if they were a doctor at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, that they were somebody who I should be working with. So it was really kind of, I guess, luck of the draw.

I had already started hormone therapy, so she wanted to continue that. But put me on a different hormone injection. And then she said, "We'll let that start to take hold. And then we'll put you on another drug." They referred to it as Zytiga. There's some other longer name that's harder for me to roll off my tongue. But she said, "And then we'll do that for some period of time, a month. And then we'll start the chemotherapy. And how does this sound to you?"

And again, the first hormone treatment was already helping. And she said, "We want to go step by step so that if there are setbacks, we can see how you're tolerating all of these things. And did that sound like a good plan?" And I said, "It certainly does." And she also said, she was very clear that because it has metastasized into my bones that I'm not going to be cured of this. But that I could expect to have a quality of life and a period of time in which I'm going to feel good and be able to do the things that I love to do. Which is largely be with my wife and kids, and grandkids. And kayak and swim, and fool around on my tractor.

And so she laid out this. And she also was clear that at some point we're going to have to do something else, and there are other things we can do. And she also said, "At some point we may use a technique or a therapy on you that hasn't even been invented yet." So that's where we headed. I had a really tough night one night, because I was just afraid of chemotherapy. And I thought it was just going to be horrible. And again, getting through the winter. And I have had a remarkably easy journey through chemotherapy.

I have been walking every single day since January 1st, at least a couple of miles. I've recently started playing golf again. And I'm walking, playing golf. And I've just been able to stay active. I'm a guy that sort of goes into my workshop in the basement and tinkers. And I essentially built my house and my garage, and my tractor shed. And so I like to build and maintain, and so on. So I've been able to do all that through chemotherapy. I haven't lost my appetite. I haven't been nauseous. And so again, that was the thing I was sort of the most afraid of. And I spoke to a lot of people that had gone through and asked what to expect.

Ann Kroc:

What was it going to be like for him? Was it going to be painful and horrible? Also, what was it going to be like without him? That was really hard to even think about. And I tried not to go there. But certainly ... And what can I do to help him get through it? And just being fearful for what the future might have, and all of the things that we wanted to do together with our family.

Doug Kroc:

I remember just thinking, "Am I going to live until Christmas?" This was early November. I was feeling ... I also had urinary symptoms, which was part of why we got to get to the bottom of what's going on. And I was scared. Again, these numbers were really high. And I was like, "Am I going to be around for Christmas?" And I didn't recognize that I was dealing with some anxiety. I'm a pretty ... I'm one of the most unanxious people in the world probably. And my daughter has dealt with some anxiety when she had children. And she said, "Dad, you've got some anxiety going on here." And I was kind of like, "Well, duh. Of course I do." And so as I got that under control. And I started my treatments, and as soon as I started treatments, I started feeling way better. And the message that I was getting about the hopefulness of these treatments and all of that just really turned things around in a hurry. But in the beginning, I had lost my appetite. I had lost 20 pounds. And I was really leaning on friends to come help do things. And I was looking at the aspect of a winter in Vermont. And we live very rurally in Vermont. And it's like, "This is going to be a tough winter to get through."

Ann Kroc:

Our family has been super supportive, just there for us in every way. Our grandchildren are just the lights of our life. And just give us so much hope and strength. And the girls, our daughters. Just when we're together, it's just the strength and ... The strength they give us to go through what we're going through. And I have friends that are very good friends that we get together. They'd call me, we take walks together. And they keep trying to get me out and be active, and to support giving us ... Making meals for us and doing all kinds of things. And just being good friends and very supportive. And our neighborhood is just unbelievable as well. Everyone's willing to help.

Doug Kroc:

I think the advice I did give myself was to stay positive, and not to feel sorry for myself. Nobody did this to me. I didn't do this to me. And it doesn't take ... You don't have to look around too much to find people that are in a whole lot worse situations than we are. We're blessed to have resources, and friends and family and all of that. So I took that to heart right from the beginning and I said, "I've got a lot to live for. And I'm going to be positive and make the most of this."

Ann Kroc:

Oh, my. I feel like I've taken a lot of strength from Doug. I mean, just the way he's reacted to the whole situation and his positive attitude. He's pretty amazing in that regard. But to also be supportive, just try and understand what you can do to help them get through situations. Keep each other laughing.

Doug Kroc:

Take this head on, to be positive, to engage in your medical care. And to also don't be afraid to ask for help. Don't be afraid to ask for support. All of your friends and your family want to do something for you. And you can't be too proud to not accept that help. And I guess again, to stay positive and give it your best shot. My children are fantastic. We have had a wonderful relationship, both my wife and I. We don't have any drama going on in our lives.

I had the pleasure of, because I was a teacher, my kids also had the same vacations and the same summer vacation. And we like to travel. And so we have spent just unbelievable amounts of time together. We're very involved in our grandkids' lives. They know us, and are always happy to see us. And friends, you just have to lean on people. Which is hard to do. We all feel like we can take care of things. But very early on, my wife encouraged me to, "When you need help, you need to let people know." And I have tried to do that. But certainly my wife and my kids, and my brother and sister, everybody's just been very supportive.

Oh, I mean, I think everybody who has been diagnosed with cancer would tell you that it certainly gives you an appreciation of every day. We live in an absolutely beautiful area in southern Vermont. And I mean, I walk out my door and I'm just right smack in the middle of beautiful northern woods. And we've always been interested in the natural environment. And so all of those things are just important to us, to me.

Ann Kroc:

And a friend of mine who did lose her husband to cancer, but she said during his treatments and the process they went through, that she fell in love with him all over again. And I feel so much like that has happened to Doug and I that we just appreciate every day with each other. And I know that sounds a little sappy. But I mean, it's true. And we're just so thankful for each other and what we have and how we have so much support, and we're not alone.

Doug Kroc:

I am glad that she's right at my side through this whole thing.