Bob's Cancer Story
Battling a Rare Cancer is Easier in Your Own Backyard
Bob Dwyer is battling a rare form of cancer — but he’s doing it from the comfort of his own personal oasis: his home.
With no gas in his tank and no pep in his step, Bob had begun to feel as if mowing yards was more like running a marathon. He’d lost his zest. And normally, Bob had plenty of zest to spare.
When he could no longer ignore his lethargy or the escalating pain of an old back injury, Bob sought help from a doctor. After a routine prostate exam, he was diagnosed with cancer. It was difficult and overwhelming news, but he was determined to keep a positive attitude.
Urologist Donald Spicer, MD, Baptist Health Paducah, did the biopsy. “I’ll never forget the day I got the results,” Bob said. “Your whole life is upended in one moment.”
Bob tries not to complain. He’s seen others experiencing pain in the nursing homes and hospitals where he volunteers with his emotional support therapy dog, Joey.
“I try to temper my pain and suffering with all that I see out there,” he said.
Bob was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that had wrapped around his entire prostate, bladder and intestines, making surgery impossible. “If they’d done the surgery, I’d lose my bladder and my rectum,” he said.
Bob considered heading out of state to receive cancer care and had even lined up friends to stay with during treatment. But then he learned Baptist Health Paducah offered the same advanced technologies and treatments in its Ray and Kay Eckstein Regional Cancer Care Center — and it was close to home. It also was close to his wife, Terrie; his 91-year-old mother, Barbara; his beloved dogs; and the community he loves.
The plan was to use a combination of chemotherapy and radiation to smash the tumors and then starve the cancer. However, because things aren’t always simple with treating cancer, Baptist Health Paducah has a multidisciplinary team to customize each patient’s treatment to fit their individual needs.
Because of Bob’s back injury, he could not lie flat on the radiation table, so his treatment team came up with an innovative solution tailored just for him. They constructed a mold to keep Bob’s legs bent at an angle, easing the pressure on his back.
In May 2019, Bob rang the bell that signifies the last radiation treatment is complete. He brought in bell-shaped cookies to celebrate with the nurses.
“There’s a misconception that because we live in a small community, that we should run to Nashville to get our healthcare,” Bob said. “The caregiving I’ve received at Baptist Health Paducah is beyond any I’ve ever received in my life.”
Because he stayed close to home, Bob was able to care for his mom, run his family’s kennel business specializing in the rare breed Shiloh Shepherds, and work at Kirchhoff’s, a historic deli in downtown Paducah — all while undergoing treatment. He is living life beyond cancer, even as he fights.
“There’s a healing quality to being in your own backyard,” he said.
