John’s Story: “My first thought was denial and then panic.”

A seemingly small incident set in motion a series of events that would change everything for John Peart. What started as a minor concern soon became impossible to ignore, leading to a medical discovery that would force him to confront one of life’s toughest challenges. With his wife’s unwavering support and specialists’ guidance, he began a journey filled with difficult choices, perseverance, and ultimately, hope. Here is John’s story:

At age 77 on July 16, 2022, I began passing blood in my urine.

My wife was gone for the weekend.  She came home and I acted like nothing happened. A few days went by, and I passed blood again. I would go a couple of days without passing blood and then it would reappear. This went on for a few weeks and I finally told my wife. She talked me into going to the doctor at the VA clinic I normally go to.  The urology department couldn’t see me for over a month, so they sent me to a local urologist in Fort Myers, Florida.  

I went to see the doctor there and he did an ultrasound and said he saw a mass in my bladder. He suggested a transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) and I agreed. After coming out of the anesthesia, the doctor came into the room and told me he had taken out 90% of the tumor but it was growing into the muscle wall and was stage two bladder cancer.  After the initial TURBT, the biopsy came back as high grade aggressive carcinoma.  My first thought was denial and then panic. 

I am a US Army veteran in Vietnam with both years in Agent Orange-sprayed areas. The VA told me I could go to the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center Cancer Clinic in Tampa Bay, Florida, which would be about 150 miles one-way, or I could go to a cancer clinic outside of the VA of my choosing.  After much research, I chose the University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida for treatment. 

I met with Dr. Mark Anthony Gonzalgo, a urologic oncology surgeon who treats kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer.  He told me the best result would be to do a radical cystectomy, removing my bladder. I told him I wasn’t ready for that and asked what else could be done. It turned out that I was a candidate for bladder-sparing therapy. He informed me that the doctors at the center worked in teams of three, consisting of a surgeon, an oncologist, and a radiologist. I would have to meet with Dr. Vinay Minocha, who would be the head of the team for my bladder-sparing treatment.  We set up a date for another TURBT to remove the tumor, and I set an appointment to meet and discuss treatment with Dr. Minocha. 

Listen to our podcast about bladder preservation therapy:

I was accepted as a patient on the condition that I would have surgery on November 7, 2022, with Dr. Gonzalgo and follow up with seven chemo treatments and 37 radiation treatments because I wanted to save my bladder.

On November 7, I had surgery to remove the tumor which had grown back to its original size in 45 days.  Dr. Gonzalgo came out of surgery to tell me he completely removed the tumor, even out of the muscle wall.  The following Monday, November 14, I started weekly chemo treatments and daily radiation treatments for 37 days. My last chemo treatment was on January 9, 2023, and my final radiation session was on January 17, 2023. I rang the bell and went home for good. I had my first check-up on March 22, 2023, with labs and cystoscopy and was declared cancer free!

I learned about BCAN from my research through Google.  I am extremely happy to be part of the BCAN community and have learned much from this organization. 

Without my wife Patty, I probably wouldn’t be here to tell my story. I wouldn’t have a story to tell. She helped me through my journey with bladder cancer. She encouraged me go to the doctors and do research.  That’s how awesome she is.

My follow-ups are now every three months with a cystoscopy and CT of my chest abdomen pelvis with contrast. So far, so good, and still cancer free!