Cancer Advocate Spotlight: Thomas P. Sellers
Thomas P. Sellers
10-year prostate cancer survivor
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It was a life-altering event when Tom’s mother was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1979, and that event became the basis for Tom’s personal commitment to fighting cancer.
After her diagnosis, Tom’s mother was treated with surgery and radiation. Tom’s family was given no indication of what to expect after treatment, and within a few months his mother began having seizures; the cancer had metastasized to her brain. For the next four-to-five months, Tom’s mother was mostly in the hospital, on a journey to the end of her life.
It was then that the Tom took action in his own life. Tom worked in a government job and had been committed to public service from early on, but he became engaged in a state tobacco control program to reduce youth smoking and make a difference for lung cancer.
A few years later, Tom’s father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After 10 years of watchful waiting, his PSA levels went up and he needed to undergo eight weeks of radiation. Tom, who is an only child, had already become the primary caregiver in his family as the healthcare proxy. Living in Boston, he participated as a long-distance caregiver for his father in New Jersey. Tom’s father later developed a glioblastoma and passed away within a few months.
Having the family history and many of the risk factors, Tom decided to take no chances with his own health. From age 40 he began to get annual check-ups and get his PSA levels checked. In 1998, Tom was at a routine check up when he inquired about his PSA level from the last exam. When his doctor’s face went white, Tom knew there was something wrong. Tom’s doctor told him his last PSA level, which had been checked a year before, was unusually high – but no one had relayed the news to Tom. With a second exam and a biopsy, it was discovered that Tom, too, had prostate cancer.
Diagnosed with a moderately aggressive tumor, Tom knew he had some time before having to undergo treatment, and he used his time to consider his treatment options. Tom sought advice from three medical oncologists about different treatment options, including surgery, beam radiation and seed implantation, before he ultimately made his decision. He arranged consultations to evaluate his situation, researched online, called other prostate cancer survivors for advice, and pulled as much data as possible. Tom even developed a “decision tree,” charting out his Gleason score and comparing the risks and benefits of each treatment option.
Once Tom and his family had decided on treatment, it was time to mobilize “Team Tom.” Tom’s family, friends, colleagues, golf buddies, and others close to him created a support team. “Team Tom” provided resources and information, stories to humor and comfort his family, and suggestions for complementary medicine methods, including Reiki — a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that promotes healing.
After Tom’s surgery, he began the recovery process and worked on recovering physically, mentally, and emotionally – from his experience. Having worked at the American Cancer Society at the time, Tom found himself to be very lucky to have an employer that understood his situation and insurance that provided him with access to the best treatment.
Tom’s array of experiences with cancer set the stage for him to become much more active in the cancer world and find new ways to make a difference. He was a founding member of the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition, which organizes forums to educate men about prostate cancer and fund research. Tom’s doctors put him in touch with men who are newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, and Tom helps them understand their treatment options and what to expect during the process.
As the new President & CEO of NCCS, Tom says he was drawn by NCCS’s mission, which, like his own personal mission, is to help cancer survivors. And to do that, self-advocacy is the first step.
For advocates at any level, Tom emphasizes that advocacy takes place in many forms. It can be talking to newly diagnosed patients about your experience, speaking to small groups, or volunteering to drive someone to treatment. Every little bit helps.
Submitted by: lynn sellari
November 6, 2009
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November 5, 2009
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