Following his own prostate cancer treatment, PAMF patient Mike Lowe offered to produce a DVD for the Cancer Care Center to give to all newly-diagnosed prostate cancer patients. With support from his doctor, and funding from two foundations, the patient-produced video – “Prostate Cancer Survivors’ Perspective,” is now given by PAMF to each newly diagnosed prostate cancer patient and has had more than 1,000 views on YouTube.
“The Prostate Cancer Survivors’ Perspective” video has guys who have gone through it talking directly to the new prostate cancer patients,” explains Lowe. “I had to do it because I thought it was necessary, and this is my contribution to the welfare of others who get diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Please click here to view an ADA compliant version of this video.
Would you want to talk with another man who was diagnosed with prostate cancer? Speak with a guy who had a particular type of prostate cancer treatment?
The Prostate Cancer Buddy Program at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation enables interested men to get in touch with other men who have also been diagnosed with prostate cancer and have completed a wide range of prostate cancer treatments.
“The buddies know what the guys are going through, because they’ve been there – and survived,” says Frank delaRama, R.N., MSN, AOCNS, clinical nurse specialist and prostate cancer navigator at PAMF’s Cancer Care Clinic. “They are available to share their own personal experiences, and provide understanding, support and practical information.
Firefighters are usually the ones to save lives. But for firefighter Randy Kelly, it was his family medicine doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Walton, who saved his.
In October 2009, Kelly, who has been a San Francisco Bay Area firefighter for the last 10 years, was in great shape. As well as the outstanding physical fitness required for his job, he was also training for an upcoming trail marathon in Susanville.
“I was at a training class for work and experienced terrible shooting pains in my temples and felt incredibly weak – I had never felt anything like this before,” says Kelly, recalling the moment he knew something was terribly wrong with his health.
“I thought my flying days were over, I really did. Until I met the doctors at PAMF,” says Eves Tall Chief. A highly skilled hang glider pilot for more than 30 years, Tall Chief felt his world was crumbling when a dislocated shoulder threatened to ground him for good. “But my PAMF doctors understood me and put me back together.” [Read more...]
Frank delaRama R.N., M.S., Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist & Prostate Cancer Nurse Navigator at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Ignorance = Not Bliss
A huge majority of the men I meet with newly diagnosed prostate cancer have almost no other medical problems. “I eat right, exercise regularly. I feel so healthy…but now I have cancer?!” In fact, most men who are proactive about their health are most likely to have their PSA blood test and Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) completed on time, starting as early as age 40 (see my previous post 40-45-50 for the full guidelines). So, it’s the healthy men who catch the prostate cancer very early, and at the same time, are the most frustrated with “being sick” for the first time in their lives.
Surf legend Jack O’Neill, founder and chairman of O’Neill Inc., is known the world over for developing the surfing wetsuit which not only keeps surfers warm, but also blocks the sun’s harmful UV rays. PAMF dermatologist James Beckett has two passions outside of his Santa Cruz medical practice: surfing and helping other surfers avoid skin cancer. [Read more...]
Flu season is upon us once again. Each year, 5 to 20 percent of Americans get the flu, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The good news is that getting vaccinated is a safe way to help prevent the flu.
Getting a flu vaccine is one of the best ways to avoid the flu and stay healthy. If you haven’t yet gotten your flu vaccine, now is the time to do it.
“I was so impressed with my birth experience-the exceptional care and personal attention I received from my Palo Alto Medical Foundation nurses and midwives-that I walked out of the Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center with a baby and the inspiration for new career,” said Sarah Ghigliazza. Now, six years later, Ghigliazza is the mother of three and a public health nurse for the Santa Cruz Community Counseling Center, working with pregnant women who are in recovery for substance abuse. [Read more...]
Welcome! This blog is designed as a forum for engaging patients, their families and the community in conversations about health care, and to help promote health education and wellness with articles and tips from our doctors and staff from different departments. We welcome your comments and insight, however, please remember that this blog does not address specific patient medical issues or provide personalized medical advice. If you have a specific medical question, please contact your doctor directly.Thank you for visiting our blog.
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