A routine physical reveals more

After years of perfect health, one man battles through prostate cancer to inspire and save others.

Greg Miller had been diligent in check-ups and doctor appointments his entire 58 years of life. In fact, his job required it. Bi-annual physicals were necessary to maintain the commercial driver’s license Greg needed for his job as an Operating Engineer crane operator.

After he retired, though, Greg considered letting his license lapse. He had a change of heart at the last minute, and went in for another physical.

Walking in to the office and feeling great, Greg didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary. But the routine physical revealed heightened Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels. After visiting a local urologist and having a 12-point needle biopsy, the results came back positive for prostate cancer.

As Greg faced the disease and treatment options available, he wanted to find the treatment that had the highest cure rate, least amount of complications and the best quality of life after treatment. Doctors explained to him that the earlier prostate cancer is detected and diagnosed, the more treatment options there are available.

Greg then started researching doctors and facilities that specialize in da Vinci robotic surgery. After a consultation with Dr. Stephen Taylor of Pacific Urology, he elected to have a prostatectomy using the da Vinci robotic surgery system.

Dr. Taylor completed the surgery with precision, and Greg was at home recovering the very next day. He did not undergo chemotherapy, radiation or hormone treatments. Within three short months, Greg’s prostate cancer was gone.

During his stay at John Muir Hospital in Concord, he was visited regularly by family and friends. Neena, his wife of 27 years, stayed by his side during recovery, as did his daughters, Ingrid and Angela.

It continues to surprise Greg what a close call he had. “I wasn’t feeling any symptoms and actually felt pretty good,” he says. “I was so close to not getting a physical.”

Feeling blessed that he caught his cancer in time, Greg has been driven since his diagnosis to encourage others to get their annual checkups. “I have had several friends and acquaintances schedule and complete physicals or colon scopes after hearing about my experiences,” Greg explains.

One of those people was his daughter Ingrid’s father-in-law. After a colon scope, he was found to have a pre-cancerous polyp. Encouragement to visit the doctor and an early diagnosis prevented the cancer from escalating beyond the beginning stages.

Greg’s daughter Angela recently gave birth to a baby girl, Eliana Kehaulani Fuller, so Greg wants to stay as healthy as possible to see his granddaughter grow up. “Just make an appointment and get it over with,” he advises. “It only took an hour but it saved my life. I was very fortunate.”

The encouragement and support of his family and friends gave Greg the strength to overcome his illness. “God has and is working miracles in my life through my family and friends,” he says.