Northwest Urology Helps Heal Patients and Save Lives
12/15/2025
“You’ve Just Got to Hang in There” – Gary, Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Survivor
“It’s been a journey,” says Gary, “and I’m on the other side.”
In June 2023, Gary was 55 years old; married for 34 years, and about to welcome his third grandchild. As a 20-year Golder Ranch Fire truck driver and racing cyclist who logged hundreds of miles a week, he was “fit for fire” and used to the aches and “pain caves” that came with his active lifestyle.
But then he realized the ache in his pelvis wasn’t easing up. His urologist, Jules Manger, M.D., ordered a biopsy.
“So, Dr. Manger called,” Gary remembers, “and he said, ‘Gary, it’s prostate cancer. It’s stage 4.’ And I asked, ‘How many stages are there? Like, 10?’”
Cancer has four stages. There is no stage 5. Gary’s cancer – the size of an avocado – had progressed 50 percent of the way through the bone and fractured his pelvis.
“This felt like my expiration date; like ‘This is the way I’m going to go out,’” Gary says. “I wondered, ‘How much time do I have?’ and ‘Will my wife be OK?’ When you get this kind of diagnosis, all things you think are important just dissolve.”
Another, more unusual level of fear was at work in Gary: When he was a young man, his father died of cancer, leaving his mother in difficult circumstances – and he found himself responsible for raising his younger siblings after she died at the age of 45.
Thinking of his beloved family as well as himself, Gary began treatment, which included nearly five months of chemotherapy, 10 rounds of radiation, and a testosterone level brought down to zero (which caused hot flashes and lots of big emotions. Gary says he has no idea how women in menopause handle this).
None of this was fun, but it was worth it – and Gary appreciated the strong support he received from Dr. Manger and Jenna Bumgardner, P.A.-C.
“Jenna feels like a part of my family, like a sister, now,” he says. “My wife would say the same thing. Jenna brought calm to the chaos with her excellent bedside manner. What a huge heart; what a good person. Dr. Manger told me that this wasn’t the end of my story, and I believed that because I believed in him.”
The team’s hard work paid off. Today, Gary’s PSA – or prostate-specific antigen screenings, which help monitor the progression of cancer in his body, are normal. He gets blood drawn every six weeks, and is back to living a normal life.
“We have a decision to make when we get that diagnosis – whether to be a fighter and push on, or whether to give up and focus on the crummy hand life has dealt us,” he says. “So I coached myself through it, the same way I’d coach my fire team. I’m never going to be grateful for cancer, but I am so grateful for the new perspective it’s given me on life.”
Gary wants to offer encouragement to everyone he shares his story with – those who are living with cancer and those who are not.
“Cancer or any serious illness can happen to anyone,” he says, “but it does not have to be that there’s an expiration date put on your life. You’ve just got to hang in there. Focus on your family, friends, colleagues, all the amazing people you know, and all the wonderful things possible in the future.”
Always talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your health – and learn more about urological care at https://www.nwalliedphysicians.com/urology-care.
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