My name is Rick Salomone. I'm 68 years old. And up until a year ago, I enjoyed perfect health; was an athlete in college, kept myself in physical great shape, spent 44 years in business, was never sick, never missed a day of work. And I had the good fortune of having the same GP, Dr. Berg, over and over again for my annual physicals. And once I hit 50, he started to test me with the PSA test. And as I got into the latter part of two years ago, so November of '22, my PSA levels started to rise from 4.0 to 6.0. And I would try to lobby with my doctor and say, "Come on, doctor, I'm exercising every day on an exercise bike. I'm in the hot tub, I'm playing tennis." And he would buy me another three months and we'd test it again.
When we retested again from November to January of '23, Dr. Berg had seen enough. My score had gone from 6.2 to 7.2 in relatively a six-month period. So he referred me to a urologist. The urologist at that time in early February of '23 ordered an MRI. And so I went and did the MRI. And then I met with him again and he said, "Look, there's some spots. I recommend we bring you into the hospital and we do a biopsy."
So I was feeling confident; never been sick, in good health, playing tennis five days a week. And I'm like, "Sure, let's do the biopsy." The biopsy comes and my next appointment with him was two weeks later, February 11th of '23. And took Carol with me, not expecting any bad news, right? I'm healthy. And I sit in the chair at 9:00 in the morning and he blurts out, "I've got bad news for you. We took 13 samples in the biopsy and eight were cancerous. So you have prostate cancer."
I had done a little bit of research about Gleason scores. And four of the specimens were a Gleason score of three plus three, and the other one was 4.3. So I knew that was in the intermediate range. And he was very matter of fact. I mean, the whole meeting lasted less than five minutes. And I'm thinking to myself, "Come on, man, you just told me I have cancer." And all he did was hand me a card for the local Sarasota radiation oncologist who everybody goes to and said, "Call him and get an appointment. He has everything. He can treat this." And that's what it went.
And my personality is, I always want the last word. So I said, "Well, wait a minute. I'm not going to doubt that this doctor is a good option, but my first option is to go to Moffitt." And the reason I had there was I saw the patient care model that they deployed on Carol 10 years earlier for breast cancer: two surgeries, chemo, radiation. And I saw that the Moffitt way was different than any hospital experience. And while I was in good health, I had a lot of sports surgery. So I have had my shares of time in a hospital and surgery. And you can tell when people really care about all of you.
So I got into a discussion with him, and he's, "Why would you drive 120 miles round trip each day to go to Moffitt?" And I said, "Because they've given me permission to believe based on what they did to Carol and the treatment and the care and the follow-up. So I will go talk to your doctor, but I'll also research it."
So at that point, you get in the car with your wife. You're pale, you're anxious for the first time, because you've heard those words, "I have cancer." So you go home and you think about all your colleagues and buddies that you've known that have had prostate cancer. So you get on the phone with a couple of them. So I did that. I also started with Google. And then the Moffitt website wasn't into the portal yet, but got into the website to read everything I possibly could. And that provided a lot of great information that I used to make my final decision.
So I always look at life with ... if it's an important decision, my faith comes in. And it's like, "What's God telling me to do here?" And so I decided to talk to this doctor here locally. I also talked to a really good friend of mine who went through a procedure called CyberKnife. So I said, "Well, I'll put that on the schedule. And then I know that there'll be a little time lag. I'll call Moffitt and get in the queue for scheduling that appointment." So then I had three options. And after the shock, then I'm mapping out my action plan, and when will I make a decision on that? With the Gleason scores, with the diagnosis, I met with the CyberKnife people.
When I went to call the local doctor, this is an interesting story, calling the local doctor, I get the scheduler. And right up front, she tells me he schedules his appointments in 15 minute increments. And I'm like, "Wow, my life should be worth more than 15 minutes." So once she told me that, I literally said, "That's okay, I'm going to go to Moffitt." So then I got on the schedule. And it was April 11th. So February 11th was the diagnosis where my urologist told me that I had prostate cancer, and now it's April 11th that I had a meeting set up.
And in true Moffitt fashion, they call a week before to go through a whole interview with you for an hour. And in the course of that hour when the conversation ended, I said, "I had one question. I was on the Moffitt prostate cancer website and I saw this new procedure that Dr. Pow-Sang is doing. And after I had my meeting with the doctor and the radiation oncologist, could I meet with Dr. Pow-Sang? Since it's a long drive up there, could I do it all at once?"
And then it was like magic. I still was shaking my head. She said, "I'll tell you what, we'll just make Dr. Pow-Sang your doctor. And then his radiation oncologist is the head of the department, and that would be Dr. Yamoah." So I'm like, "You would do that?" It's like, "Oh yeah, no problem. They only practice on Wednesdays, but we'll set you up on a Wednesday." And I hung up the phone, just shake my head, said, "Do you believe that?" So at that point, I was not looking at any specific treatment, so I was open to listen about surgery, radiation. I was hoping it wasn't serious enough for chemotherapy.
So got up there on the 11th and when you look at one doctor saying they'll give you 15 minutes, and I had the head of the department, Dr. Pow-Sang and Dr. Yamoah for 90 minutes where they detail everything, answered every question of mine and Carol's, my wife, it was phenomenal. And about 25 minutes into it, Dr. Pow-Sang knew that surgery was not really my first choice and that radiation would be.
I just kind of wanted to enjoy the life that I'm currently living. And life is all about risk-reward. And subsequent to all this, I got a call from a cousin of mine who heard I had prostate cancer. And he had had it and his father had passed away from it. My uncle had passed away from prostate cancer and he was 55 years old and just had it removed. And so I had read enough, and had done some due diligence and what the implications were short-term, long-term, and I wasn't ready for that. And so really, it was just a kind of a personal decision. Dr. Pow-Sang understood it and then handed me off to Yamoah and KT. And then we started talking about radiation as the preferred option. And all was going well. And he was explaining that there would be a specific plan, that he would send my cancer cells out for a genome test. And once the findings of the genome test, then he would tailor a specific radiation plan based on the definition of the cells.
So at the last minute, all was going well. And I was like, "Okay, that's good. No chemo, no surgery, radiation." I had seen it with my mom and my father at different points of their lives. So he kind of threw me a curveball at the end and he said, "We'd like to add hormone therapy in conjunction with the radiation." And I said, "Wow, that's kind of caught me off guard. Can I think about it for a week and get back to you?" He had described what it entailed, and again, that didn't ... I said to Dr. Yamoah and KT at the time, I was like, "I understand you want the best outcome for me, and that may include hormone therapy, but I want to do some research."
So I went home. They respected it. We had a great meeting. I called them within maybe 48 hours and had done some research on what the other effects of the hormone therapy were. And I wasn't comfortable with ... I had read a University of Penn study on 20,000 men. And the likelihood of maybe developing Alzheimer's and dementia was heightened by adding hormone therapy to radiation to treat prostate cancer. So I went back, had another meeting with Dr. Yamoah, and told him what my decision was. He understood it. He tried a little bit to convince me to do it, and I wasn't comfortable with it. And then we kind of never spoke about it. He said he would add some additional passes on the radiation to take care of some issues, maybe around the lymph nodes, if I remember right. And so then we were all scheduled for the beginning, the middle of May of 2023, to start 26 radiation sessions from there.
So I felt I was informed. I had enough information from things I read online, plus the Moffitt website, the testimonials, the causes, the treatments, the side effects. I thought I had made ... confident I made the best decision for my life at this point in time, and was ready to start the process. So there was a time lag of about four weeks between the final meeting on April 11th to this commencement on May 16th, the first radiation treatment. So I said to myself, "Well, I'm going to get physically" ... I was already in good shape. I said, "I'm going to get even in better shape," and doubled up the workouts and stopped the rigorous tennis, but did a lot of time in the gym, both aerobically and lifting weights, to keep my strength, because I knew from experience and from what colleagues had told me that my energy would be sapped during the six weeks of radiation. So I really prepared hard for that and I told myself, "You know what? I'm going to try to work out every day during radiation," so I thought.
And the pre-work for the radiation on a daily basis was at the beginning the most difficult part: cleaning out your system in the morning, then getting in the car, driving 60 miles north up by 75, battling traffic. The schedulers at radiation were really nice to me to give me a 1:30 PM slot for my treatment so I could miss the heavy rush hour, but you're always going to get some traffic. And so doing that, the first two or three days, the water intake, balancing it ... One of the first two times on the radiation table, I got thrown out for not having a full bladder. So that told me, "Wow, they really do check with those cameras."
So I didn't know what to do. At that point, I was scared. I was like, "Oh my gosh, I've only gotten through two of these treatments. And I don't know if I can do this every day," because I was looking too far ahead. I was looking at June 21st as the end of my radiation treatments. So I thought to myself, as an athlete, "It's about the next point. It's the next shot. It's the next at bat. Don't be thinking too far ahead." So I started to train my mind and say, "I just got to get through tomorrow, that's all." And now I know kind of the process.
So I would swim in the morning for the first week to 10 days, then I'd come home, get ready, clear my mind and drive up and wait in the radiation to start my water intake. Now, my exercise routine ended after seven days because I lost all my energy. So my exercise from that point on every day to clear my mind and my body and get prepared for another day of radiation was just watering plants with headphones on and nice music to calm me. So even though the stress of driving 60 miles up by 75 gets you to a point, it set the stage for me to get better prepared.
And when I got into the waiting room for the radiation treatment, you're there with 20, 30 people in a room. And I asked my wife after the first two times, "Please don't come. I just want to zone out and just calm my body, calm my mind." And I'm a religious guy, so I brought a prayer book. And I would just read repetitive prayers about praying for people with cancer, praying for people going through difficult times. And I would just zone out while I was filling my bladder with water, getting ready for treatment. And it's very stressful not knowing when you're going to be called, because you're on the brink after anywhere from 24 to 40 ounces of water in 45 minutes to an hour. I couldn't start my water intake at home and then drive 60 miles. So what I found was relaxation of my mind and not focusing too heavily on what I was doing put me in a better peace.
And what I would also say is that the concierge, Jeremy, the staff of schedulers, the tech men and women that looked after me were conscious ... again, it's the Moffitt way. They were conscious of my drive. So after the first week, they could come out and say, "Can you be ready in 15 minutes?" Because I'm always early. That's the other thing: get there early so that you can relax yourself before you are hurried into your 15 minutes on the radiation table. And so I was always there early. And depending on where they were in the schedule, I would either slow down my water intake or speed it up. And knowing that and them understanding my situation of having traveled meant a great deal.
And then what I would do from that point on was I just locked down into headphones so that ... There's a lot of people a lot sicker and going through a lot more difficult things than I was. But psychologically, I really didn't want to hear them talking to each other about what was wrong with them and what kind of treatments they were doing. That would make me more anxious, just from a personal standpoint. So I just started to lock it out, and then they'd come and get me. And then it was showtime, it was game on. And they were wonderful in the quick preparation, getting you right lined up with the markers. It was like changing tires at the Indy 500, with three professionals, understood physically what was happening. And that was fantastic.
So the radiation part was not even as hard as the prep work for me. Going through the radiation passes, you got so trained on it, I could tell how many more passes were left after about two weeks. So just like when I sit in an MRI tube, I always ask the tech, "Could you just keep shouting out, 'Five more minutes, 10 more minutes'? Just give me milestones." And the team and the radiation techs would do that for me on the first week or so. But then I was so in tune that I could feel it and I knew how many more were left, and that gave me a start and a middle and an end, and that helped my anxiety.
So getting off the radiation table, you run down the hall to the bathroom. And it's very difficult. It's like urinating battery acid, for lack of a better word. It's difficult. You literally hold onto the walls. It's tough. And then I would relieve myself before I left again for the 60-mile journey; could only get about halfway. I'd have to stop again, the same type, maybe stop the second time. And then I'd get home, and I'd get home and I'd feel pretty good. And you lost your appetite. So the side effects of eating a heavy meal for dinner ... my dinner became a simple salad and maybe a plain baked potato.
And even that was a lot, because after being home for about two hours, three hours, physically, I spent a lot of time in the bathroom, whatever I ate, I just had to relieve myself one way or another. And sometimes you didn't know which end it was coming out. And it was uncomfortable. But something after it happens for two or three days, you start to kind of manage it. It's not fun, but at least you know what to do. And I had good support. I could text KT and say, "Is this normal?" And she would walk me through and give me assurances that nothing was going on. When I would have my regular Wednesday meetings with Dr. Yamoah and I talked about the pain of urination, the burning sensation, he said, "Okay, we're going to double up on the one drug, the Flomax." And that alleviated 60% of the problem. So two, three weeks in, I eliminated 60% of the burning sensation. That really helped me.
I always look to see the bright side of things. That's just my nature. So I kidded Carol, and every Wednesday I'd meet Dr. Yamoah and KT and I'd say, "Man, one outcome is I'm getting the body by Moffitt that I always desired. And it's going to be just in time for my 50th high school reunion," which was going to be at the end of my radiation cycle. So I looked at that as a positive, but I became really conscious of where I was if we're out in a social setting and what I was going to be consuming, eating, or drinking. I'm not somebody that drinks a lot of alcohol, but I've had one or two drinks a week type of thing. But I wouldn't even touch it during the six weeks of radiation, just to keep my body as simple as possible. And the same thing with eating. For the radiation time, I probably didn't eat red meat at all. So it was just something that worked for me. If I found the salad, plain baked potato and some water, and that helped my stomach, then that's kind of what I did.
Interesting, we're at our weekly meeting, and Carol would always come up on Wednesday with me to meet Dr. Yamoah and go through what my symptoms were, what am I feeling? How am I doing mentally and physically? And KT was always there. And Carol came up with the great idea, because the last day of radiation was the 21st. And I was scheduled to fly to New York to go to my 50th high school reunion on the 22nd. And based on what you feel like after radiation, I thought that was cutting it too close. So Carol goes, "Doctor, could Rick double up on radiation treatments maybe two times so we could have two days off before we get on this plane on a Friday?"
So he said, "Let me think about it. We don't like to do it." I said, "We'll just stay up at the hotel close to Moffitt." And he called me back in the car within an hour, we were on the way home. And I pick up the phone, and it's Dr. Yamoah. Again, this is only happening at Moffitt, in my experience. So Dr. Yamoah goes, "If you're willing to do that, and we could do one at 6:00 in the morning and one again at 2:30, and we'll do them on the last two Wednesdays of your treatment schedule." I said, "I can do it."
And so we would go up on a Tuesday night and have a light meal and then get ready for the early call. And I'd be the first one on the radiation table, and meet a whole bunch of new Moffitt friends that are working the early, early shift. And then I'd go back and sleep a little and then check out of the hotel and go back at 1:00 and start the water intake over again. And most of the people knew what was going on, and they were very supportive. Really, it got to a point, not just at the end, but I'd say 10 days into the treatment, so 10 of the 26, that I actually look forward to going to Moffitt. I enjoyed the new friends I had made, from the people that are parking cars, to the people checking in and scheduling, to the techs. And so everybody was just so wonderful.
And we got through the radiation two days prior, had the final meeting after two hits of radiation on the 19th of June with Dr. Yamoah. And I was leaving early on the 21st to go to New York. And he liked the line when I said, "Well, at least I have a body by Moffitt. They'll think I've stayed in shape for 50 years." So I got there. The plane ride was okay, because I purposely didn't eat anything. And for the day prior to the reunion, all I ate was avocado toast and a banana. And I was able to get through my high school reunion that started at the school at 3:00. And then we had a dinner dance that evening and we ended up at a pub. And I didn't get home until 1:30 in the morning, and I was on my feet the whole time, and did not have a side effect.
Now, I hadn't eaten much, and I had avocado toast. And the trip home on the plane was a different story, because I had gotten a little bit hungry and I ate some things that probably shouldn't have at the airport. So that was a little difficult thing. But my side effects, within I'd say 10 days of finishing radiation when I got back home, had pretty much dissipated. My difficulty in urination dissipated. I started tennis, competitive tennis again. And I had energy. And I built it up slowly, but I mean, I was back on the court within 10 days of finishing my last radiation.
And so it was something that I checked off a little calendar, my schedule, about one day at a time, not focusing out to the future. I think that would've been too daunting for me. And then I promised myself we would do something fun when I felt better, like a little bit of a holiday. And that's what we did. And between Carol's support, my kids' support, and then my Moffitt family, all these new people, they were living it with me. And it felt that way. So that's what got me through.
They made such an impact on the both of us, because Carol got to witness it on every Wednesday when we went up there. And people know your story, they know your background. So we wanted to give something back to them. And we like to cook and we like to cook Italian food. So we threw a party. About two days before the end of radiation, we brought to the entire radiation department eight pounds of baked zitis, about 100 meatballs, Italian bread, salad and dessert. And we took over the little cafeteria area they have for the department. And everybody came, started at 11:00 in the morning and ate until about 2:30. And it was just a wonderful thing to see. We wanted to show how appreciative we were that your caring, your patient care model, the impact you have on lives meant so much to us that we wanted to demonstrate it. And when you're Italian, you demonstrate your love with food. So that's what we did.
The symptoms have dissipated, but your body is really never the same, I don't think. I don't know if it'll ever go back to being normal, and that's your bodily systems in the morning. I definitely have changed my eating habits and my patterns and being more conscious of what I put in my mouth and what I drink. It's nothing that outwardly you've changed your lifestyle, but you have a new awakening when you're hit with something like prostate cancer, cancer of any type of sickness, is you start to appreciate every day. And the best way to make each day count is to feel good. So why put things into your body that not going to make you feel good? And that's how I approached post-treatment, is to take it a day at a time.
Thank God that you're given the opportunity to enjoy life. I didn't have a job to do. So to be able to focus on radiation without having to worry about holding down a job was a blessing. I mean, I don't know how I would manage, because in my line of work, it was very difficult to get away time, totally away time. But being retired, it helped me through the concentration, doing the right things, eating the right things, and being home and not having to travel.
Once we had that initial meeting with Dr. Pow-Sang and I forego the surgical options, I wasn't qualified for the new surgical procedure that he was doing that I had seen on the website. So I really didn't have any interaction again with Dr. Pow-Sang. But I did on the weekly basis with Dr. Yamoah. So we finished in June, mid-June, and I went back 90 days later for my TSA test. And here's another difference of Moffitt versus any other healthcare I've been shown. I had the blood draw at 11:30, and I had a 2:00 meeting with Yamoah and KT. Well, the blood draw at 11:30, by 11:45, my mobile number's dinging, and it's a text from KT, "Where are you?" It's like, "We're in the general waiting area, just getting a little bite to eat." It's like, "Can you meet me now?" And we said, "Sure."
So as we're walking towards the radiation department, down a long hallway, here comes KT and her cool shoes, sneakers, waving a piece of paper and saying, "You passed. You passed." So Carol and I were guessing, "Did my score go from seven to two if I cut it in half?" I've talked to some of my friends, and they're in the threes and the fours. Well, my first score came in at like 0.58, from 7.2. But for KT not to make me sweat it out ... because very anxious. And she's running down the hallway waving a piece of paper saying I passed the test, and then said, "We're not going to wait until 2:00." We're going to get you in to see Dr. Yamoah. And so we had the meeting, and by 12:00, we're smiling all the way home, knowing that the radiation worked and my score went to 0.58.
So I went another three months, had my second PSA test, and it dropped again to 0.50. So it's by far and away the best outcome I could imagine. I don't know what Dr. Yamoah and KT think about it, but I was pretty happy, based on what some of the other guys were telling me. So that's kind of how it goes. And I'll be up there again for another blood-drawn PSA test on April 2nd.
So here's something that was funny. So I think it was that first meeting after I got the new PSA post-radiation at 0.58. So me being the silly person says to Dr. Yamoah and KT, "Is there anything I can take to heighten my testosterone scores?" They both jumped off the couch, "No, no. That's why we wanted to give you hormone therapy. It should come back naturally." So I just like, "Woo, I shouldn't even have said that." But then on the next 90 days later when I went out, gradually, human nature, my body is producing, and the scores are going back to a normal range. So that was important to me, and they knew it was important, so she pointed that out to me. But the first time when I said, "Is there a pill I could take," they're like, "No, no."
And I got some really good advice from friends of mine. And so I mentally made a list of things that I would tell somebody facing with ... you now have prostate cancer. I'd say the first thing is get some quiet time for yourself so that you can get angry and you can feel sorry for yourself, right? It's understandable. Vent to somebody, a spouse, son or daughter, colleague or friend, but somewhere you can let out the fear and the anxiety and just talking about it. And especially if you're talking about somebody that's experienced it. And I had the good fortune of knowing a couple of guys that had gone through radiation and treatment and surgery. So let it out.
And then once the shock of being diagnosed and hearing the words, "You have cancer," I would say start your research. Get on Google. Look at all the different renowned places to go. And for me, the first choice obviously was Moffitt because of my experience with my wife, Carol. So find out everything, so that before you had that first consultation, I knew about the ins and outs of the Gleason scores. And I knew about potential causes and treatments and side effects of the different procedures.
Then I would say as you get your plan from your doctor, I would at that point start to get your mind and your body and your spirit in alignment. And that's just getting mentally prepared. There's a start to a finish to the radiation schedule, in my case. I didn't want to look at 26. That's what was daunting in the first two or three days, going, "How am I ever going to do 23 more of these?" I didn't think I could do it. I didn't think I had the strength and the desire to do it. And I started rethinking about driving 60 miles.
So once I started to look at one treatment at a time and getting the best preparation, before I left, getting my mind and body in alignment and sitting in the waiting room with the defense mechanisms of how do I get through the fear, the anxiety of the treatment ... And started to say to myself, "You know what? You spent 68 years believing in God. Now you're being put to the test," right? Everything goes well, it's pretty easy to have faith. So if you know that tough decisions and different situations in your life happen for a reason, and it's all part of God's plan for you, then you accept the consequences, but you give it your best every day to give yourself the best possible chance of success.
No matter what I did in business or in sports, I'd arrive early to treatment, because I don't like to be rushed in and be anxious or not do the prep work properly and get asked to go back out and wait again, and you lose your turn. That's not fun. That happened twice in 26 times. So get there early, get a meditation book, pray, just to zone out, and try not to let other conversations in the waiting area distract you, because it will add extra stress.
Next thing, you're at Moffitt, so ask for help. There were times when they got to know me, both the techs or the scheduling or the check-in people would see me like, "Rick, you okay?" And they knew I was at my brink. And just ask for help, because they'll help you. The process of having a concierge in the radiation waiting room and watching that person administer every type of comfort to family members, to the patients, getting them what they needed if they had questions, I saw it in action, is very, very impressive.
And then right before when I knew it was my time to be called, I would visualize. I knew what the equipment looked like, I knew what my focal point was on the spot when I'm laying on the table. And just trying not to think of how full my bladder was. And that was the hardest part.
And then finally was plan a reward for yourself, your spouse, your best friend. Do something after you get through this journey, and it's a difficult journey. And congratulate yourself and say, "Wow, I did that." That's one of the things I'm most proud: I actually got through it with minimal complaints. Now, maybe somebody else might have a different idea, but I thought I didn't complain as much.
I came up to Moffitt with hope that I made the right decision. And then going through 26 radiation treatments, I left with belief. But by the time I rang that bell, I saw it for myself. So I went from hope to belief ... And a positive person. So I get up every morning. I thank God for giving me another day. And my goal after going through this journey is to make every interaction with a stranger or a friend a positive one. With so much turmoil going on in the world, if I can just do my little part of every interaction, every person I meet, whether it's on a tennis court, whether it's in the gym, whether it's in a social function, or just walking down the street, to make their day a little happier with a smile or a question on how they're doing, is something that I think that's why I'm here, that I'm in the last quadrant of my life.
So when you go through the journey of prostate cancer and the treatment, you put your faith and your family members in better balance; not that they were never important. They always were important, but they're more important. And so if you've got your faith and your family in alignment, then you get the benefit of peace of mind. So I'm in a zone of peace of mind for the majority of days, right? Sometimes things go wrong, but I'm more patient. I understand people better. And I think that's the outcome that I got from going through the journey.
This has been a therapeutic and rewarding recap of my prostate cancer journey. And I am so appreciative of you and the entire Moffitt team for giving me the tools I needed to make it such a positive experience.