Brent Hall lives his life at full speed. As a professional hydroplane driver, Brent races boats at over 150 mph, achieving a dream he had as a boy growing up on Mercer Island. He was a rookie driver later in life at 36, and has earned national rankings in several different classes of hydroplanes. Brent is focused on going fast on the water — but not too long ago, he had to slow things down in order to focus on cancer treatment.
Kidney cancer patient
Brent Hall lives his life at full speed. As a professional hydroplane driver, Brent races boats at over 150 mph, achieving a dream he had as a boy growing up on Mercer Island. He was a rookie driver later in life at 36, and has earned national rankings in several different classes of hydroplanes. Brent is focused on going fast on the water — but not too long ago, he had to slow things down in order to focus on cancer treatment.
In the middle of coaching his son’s undefeated basketball season, as well as running upwards seven miles during a workout, one evening Brent witnessed a large amount of blood in his urine, and immediately scheduled an appointment with his primary care doctor.
In February 2018, the doctor discovered a tumor that was four inches wide and Brent was diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer at age 48. Brent says, “When I look back at when I was diagnosed to when I was treated and how everything turned out, I am extremely grateful beyond belief. Sometimes it feels like it never happened thanks to the great care and concern from the staff at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance!”
Turning to SCCA
Two family members that are physicians recommended that Brent see John L.Gore, MD, MS, a urologist and surgical oncologist at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA). Brent did, and through the advice of Dr. Gore and the SCCA Kidney Cancer Multispecialty Clinic, he had surgery to remove the tumor. SCCA’s multispecialty clinics involve a team of experts who meet to discuss a patient’s case and determine the best treatment plan.
“SCCA has been amazing and responsive every step of the way,” Brent says, adding that he’s felt supported by everyone from the medical assistants who check his vitals to his care team members.
Brent underwent surgery one month after receiving his diagnosis. He was discharged the next day, leaving with minimal scaring and a determination to get back to 100 percent. “It didn’t matter how bad I felt, I just made sure to keep moving,” he says. His surgery was followed by a combination immunotherapy regimen, which he received over the course of four treatments.
Back to racing
On July 17, 2018, Brent had a CT scan to check his response to treatment and the results indicated significant reduction in his remaining cancer. The treatment was working. Brent planned to continue single agent immunotherapy with the hope of a complete response.
Today, Brent is no longer in active treatment and shows no evidence of disease. After a little over one year of immunotherapy under the watchful eyes of John A. Thompson, MD, and his team, Brent has graduated to receiving CT scans every six months to ensure his body continues to show no signs of cancer.
Now Brent is pursuing his goal to become the first Black driver to be qualified as an Unlimited Hydroplane driver and continues the extremely active lifestyle he enjoyed before his cancer diagnosis, including racing and coaching his son’s basketball team. At the same time, Brent feels he has already won the greatest prize.
"Every day I get to participate in helping 10-year-old Brent Jr. grow into a positive young man with my wife, Elsa, is a blessing."
