Let’s Talk The Journey of Prostate Cancer - The Story of John Crans V2

The distance between downtown Boonton and Saint Clare’s Health in Denville is about five miles and ten minutes by car. For longtime Boonton residents John Crans with his wife Wendy, that trip was one of the most important ones that they have made during their 51 years of marriage. Together, they faced John’s prostate cancer diagnosis. And together, they found what they needed at Saint Clare’s Health: compassionate and state-of-the-art care, all close to home, to help them through their journey managing prostate cancer.

 The Crans’ cancer journey began with a regular medical checkup.

"During the course of time, my PSA numbers continued to climb, so my General Practioner said I should schedule an appointment with an urologist. After a number of tests, the results came back with an 83 percent chance of cancer, so my doctor suggested a biopsy as the next step,” said John Crans, a volunteer with the Boonton Fire Department. “Out of twelve biopsy samples, seven were cancerous, so it was time to do something.”

The Crans decided to consult with the medical staff at nearby Saint Clare’s Health.

“My thoughts were that if it’s cancer, I want it out and removed. I have had friends who had prostate cancer, and if you catch it early enough, it’s the most treatable. We met with a surgeon, and he said due to my weight and my age, he would not recommend removing it. The next step was to meet with a radiation oncologist, Dr. Chandra at Saint Clare’s Health to discuss options with radiation therapy. We ultimately decided to go that route.”

After investigating several radiotherapy systems, the Crans decided on Saint Clare’s TrueBeam, a non-invasive, non-surgical method for treatment of prostate and many types of cancer. TrueBeam is an advanced radiotherapy system designed to deliver more powerful cancer treatments with pinpoint accuracy and precision. It uses advanced imaging and motion management technologies that makes it possible to deliver treatments more quickly.

TrueBeam is also very flexible in terms of number of treatments, a factor that Crans considered very important. “My doctor gave me a choice of having my treatment over a 45-day period rather than five days. However, I had a friend who did it over 45 days, and he was beaten up by it. So I elected the TrueBeam program,” Crans said. “When I went in for the first of only five treatments, everybody was awesome, from the lady downstairs who signed me in, to the nurses, to the technicians and my doctor, Dr. Anurag Chandra.”

“Dr. Chandra would meet with me regularly to see if there were any after-effects,” Crans added. “Knock on wood, I was very lucky and had no problems with the True Beam. And I didn’t have to go to New York to get it. I was able to have all my treatments right here, close to home, at Saint Clare’s Health in New Jersey.”

John Crans is also fortunate that his wife, Wendy was an active partner throughout his treatment, a process that can be quite disconcerting at the start.

“When we received the diagnosis, John and I were going into the unknown. Dr. Chandra helped us get through it by walking us through the procedure every step of the way. I think my daughters and I were more sacred than John was,” Wendy said. “When the doctor told us that one of the treatment options would make him incontinent for life, my husband was not going to do that. Dr. Chandra assured us that if we used TrueBeam, twenty years from now we would have the same 98 percent effective treatment rate. TrueBeam also offered the treatments in just five visits!”

Wendy did her research going into the beginning of her husband’s treatment, reading information on the websites of respected and acknowledged medical institutions, such as the Mayo Clinic and the American Cancer Society. On a more informal level, she found another way to learn more about prostate cancer: a Facebook page set up specifically as a men’s prostate cancer support group.

After Wendy completed her research, consulted with doctors at Saint Clare’s, and interacted with men through the support group who had gone through prostate cancer treatment, she received another unexpected benefit during this time of crisis: peace of mind.

With the added benefits of being close to home at Saint Clare’s Health, it was also reassuring to know that from the moment the treatments started, John and Wendy were among friends and neighbors, cared by exceptional physicians, as well as receiving state-of-the-art radiation treatment.

“When John walked in on the first day, he saw the technician, who we’ve known since his kids and our grandkids were in Little League together," Wendy said. "The convenience of Saint Clare’s Health has always been our top priority. When you’re sick, or your loved one is sick, it makes a significant difference to be able to travel just down the road. It was also reassuring that John would only require five radiation treatments.”

John is now well on the road to recovery. According to him, he would not have taken any detours on his trip towards getting better.

“I could've chosen other nearby hospitals or one in New York, but everything I’ve done has been at Saint Clare’ Health, where I always have had exceptional care.” John said. “My daughters were born here, and anything I needed, it was here. That’s true more than ever.”

He was also more than ready to give advice to anybody else facing prostate cancer.

“If you catch it early enough, prostate cancer is one of the most treatable cancers. If you let it go, and the cancer gets out of the prostate, you could be done. It could go anywhere,” John said. “We have friends who let it go, and they’re not here anymore. So definitely don’t hesitate to deal with it as soon as possible.”

John Crans now has the possibility of having many more days ahead with his family and friends, including his firehouse buddies. The short trip he took with Wendy by his side to Saint Clare’s has given him a chance for a longer life.

“Your family is important, and God was good to us,” John said, smiling as he wore a hat inscribed with the word ‘Grumpa’, a joking reference to one of his favorite roles in life. “We’re good to go.”

For more information about cancer care and radiation therapy at Saint Clare’s Health, please call Saint Clare’s Health Center for Cancer Care at 973-983-7300 or visit www.saintclare’s.com.