Long Island Cancer Survivor Celebrates Life, Shares Journey

WEST ISLIP, NY - This year was a difficult one for 60-year-old West Islip resident Dwight Andrews — but he didn't let that get him down.

Last December, Andrews who has lived in the area for 27 years with his wife and two kids, was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"Like a conscientious adult male, I went to the doctor to get my prostate checked and he noticed my PSA (prostate-specific antigen) numbers were high," he said.

When those test results came back his doctor was concerned and suggested he consult with a urologist who said same thing. The urologist recommended he get a biopsy.

Andrews and his doctor were especially concerned since his brother had survived prostate cancer, so the risk was higher.

However, he still decided to get a second opinion.

When a second urologist said the same thing, Andrews went ahead and got a biopsy, which came back positive.

According to research from ProCure, a cancer treatment center in New Jersey, prostate cancer affects 1 in 9 men in the U.S.

Given his age, it was suggested that Andrews seek treatment instead of sitting and waiting. But Andrews decided to do his homework.

He chose to look into proton therapy, since his brother had undergone the treatment in Philadelphia back in 2007 and decided it was the best option for him.

Starting in March, Andrews underwent 9.5 weeks of treatment for a total of 45 sessions.

Now that he has finished treatment, he is undergoing follow-up tests.

"All indications are that I will have a positive outcome. I think with prostate cancer, as with all cancers, they are reluctant to say you are cancer free right away," he said. "So the expectation is that I will be at some point, but it's too early to say."

According to Andrews, the success rate of proton therapy is 97 percent. He has to check his PSA numbers every month for the first few years and then every year after that, but he doesn't have to take any medications and is not experiencing any side effects.

"My life is kind of just cruising on as it was before," he said.

Following this experience, Andrews has learned an important lesson to share with other people who might be going through the same thing.

"The take away is to really look at the different alternatives. Don’t just jump into the first one that is recommended to you," he said. "Surgeons tend to recommend surgery, and radiation oncologists tend to recommend traditional radiation therapy — and they’re not quick to say, 'Hey, there's this other alternative out there.'"

During his time undergoing therapy, he had to stay in New Jersey where his treatment center was.

"I played golf twice a week while I was on therapy," he said. "I would get treatment at 9:30 a.m. and tee off at 11 a.m."

Despite being miles away from West Islip, he was also lucky enough to be able continue his work as a freelance landscape designer from New Jersey.

That didn't mean he still wasn't receiving support from the West Islip community.

"My circle of friends and family in the area were very supportive. I think people want to see you have the best and so there was certainly that support," Andrews said.

He also shared the two things that were critical during his journey, including a supportive family and friends as well as the treatment team at ProCure.

One piece of advice that Andrews believes would be helpful for people to know, is to do some homework before choosing a treatment option.

"You have to be your own best advocate and have a supportive family around you to act as your advocate, as well," he said. "Have a positive outlook and be positive, as positive as you can be. Obviously, there are different forms of cancer and it can a debilitating experience, but I think having a positive outlook is huge and having a support system around you is very important, as well."

Images courtesy of Dwight Andrews