Sandi and Brian Peterson of Oak Harbor, WA, have been married for nearly 35 years. Though their story first began when they met in high school, they were reunited years later and decided to get married. Between them, they have four kids, eight grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
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Sandi is an entrepreneur who has worked in many different industries, including telecommunication. Early in her career, she was even responsible for bringing the first call diverter machine to Washington State when switchboards were no longer in production. Brian is now retired after a 50-year long career in government, including a 22-years in the Navy. It was through his primary care physician on base that Brian first learned he needed a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test. The results came back with elevated levels and led to a biopsy. Following the biopsy, Brian learned that he had prostate cancer.
Brian is the first member of his family in recent memory to have cancer so he was surprised to hear the news. Rather than panicking however, he decided to take a pragmatic approach to tackling his diagnosis. Sandi on the other hand was very worried, and immediately started to seek out opportunities to support Brian through the process.
She leapt into action, researching all of the options available and making sure he got the best care possible. Sandi is a thyroid cancer survivor and through her own battle with cancer, she learned to advocate for herself and her care. Her top priority became making sure she did the same for her husband.
Given how quickly treatment options can change and progress, Sandi was eager to learn more about the newest technology offered for cancer patients. Though it was totally new to the couple, they were excited to learn about proton therapy because it was the least invasive of the options available. Together, they decided to move forward with proton therapy treatment in June 2020.
A cancer diagnosis is challenging not only for the patient but also for their loved ones. But during COVID-19, these challenges were only exacerbated. Sandi could not accompany Brian back for his treatments, as she would have liked to provide support and company. She expressed this to the Center’s staff, to which they responded with resources and information to help put her mind at ease.
She made a calendar of all the days of Brian’s treatment, and every day they would mark one off. To pass the time in Seattle, they went to the Woodland Park Zoo with their daughter and two great-grandchildren, and once a week their best friends would come over and play cards. Sandi encourages spouses or partners in a similar position to find activities like these to stay connected and maintain a positive attitude.
They also received support both from the Center, who helped celebrate Brian’s birthday during his treatment, as well as their kids who called regularly to check in.
Brian is now in the process of recovering and is focusing on his health. He has a friend who also received proton therapy, and the two have become advocates within their social circles for others who are at risk of or battling cancer. After his experience, Brian encourages other men—particularly fellow veterans like himself— to receive PSA screenings based on their doctors’ guidance rather than avoiding it. He’s glad that he agreed to a PSA test because he caught his cancer in time, and urges others to take the steps they need to protect themselves.
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