Scott R.'s prostate cancer journey

Just six months ago, Scott R., a 65-year-old Jupiter, FL resident who owns his own web design company, was hiking and wading through swamps and regularly biking, pushing his body to its limit 25 to 30 miles at a time.

“I thought I was bulletproof,” he said.

While he was feeling good, a routine blood test early in 2025 revealed an abnormally high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) score. “I didn’t even know what a PSA test was,” he said.

Scott was referred to a urological surgeon who diagnosed him with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Luckily, it had been caught early, but that didn’t make it any less shocking for Scott or his wife, Barbara.

Scott’s urologist explained his surgical options but also encouraged him to seek opinions from different specialists to learn about all possible treatment options. Scott ultimately decided on a course of hormone treatment as well as nine weeks of radiation therapy with Dr. Jerome Spunberg and team at GenesisCare in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

“Dr. Spunberg did a test scan to see what we’re looking for and explained everything, which helped me feel better,” he said. “I went in thinking I was going to have all these side effects, but that didn’t happen because the technology is accurate and pinpointed.”

Driving to his treatments at the same time every day for nine weeks, Scott soon fell into his new routine. On a lot of those drives, he’d bring cookies baked by his wife as a token of gratitude for his care team.

“Prior to my diagnosis, I was never the sort of person who’d give away cookies to say thank you,” he said. “It was real easy to take things for granted before. Now it’s like I feel I need to be more gracious and giving.”

No longer taking things for granted, Scott has a new perspective and a deep gratitude for his wife as well as the care team who helped him cope throughout his nine weeks of radiation treatment.

“I never thought I would be in this situation, but with the care and guidance of the team, it’s extremely easy to keep a positive attitude because of the people I’ve been surrounded by,” he said. “Dr. Spunberg, Nedine, Shannon, and the rest of the staff are outstanding in their work, their attitude, and their love for the patients under their care. I can’t say enough about how I love them all.”

Today, Scott has completed treatment and is still very active. He runs and walks daily but is taking things a little easier than he used to.

All too familiar now with the term ‘PSA score’, Scott encourages his friends and anyone else to know about this important and potentially life-saving test.

“Buckle up, go see a doctor and get a PSA test,” are his words of advice.