Thursday, September 02, 2010

Duane Wise

Duane Wise knew he had a long road ahead of him after hearing his cancer diagnosis in October 2007. But the Anchorage, Alaska resident didn't initially expect that road to be 4,500 miles long and end in Huntington, West Virginia.

But Duane's cancer fight played out just that way as he recently visited the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center where James Jensen, MD, removed his prostate and the cancer using the da Vinci® Surgical System, a minimally invasive robotic surgery tool.

Duane and his wife, Jo Ann, returned to Alaska just days after the surgery, cancer free and with a new outlook on life and appreciation for the cancer care in West Virginia.

His story began with a phone call from a friend who had once had cancer surgery in Utah when Dr. Jensen worked there.

"My friend called me and said to me, 'This is life and death, you've just got to take care of it,'" Duane said. "And then he told me that Dr. Jensen is the best and he told me I should call him."

A few conversations and an exchange of medical records later, Duane and Jo Ann were en route to Cabell Huntington Hospital and the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"When you have cancer in your body, you want it out," Duane said. "I decided that surgery was my best option."

Finding the best surgeon was Duane's priority. When his own physician in Alaska praised Dr. Jensen's experience over his own, the Wise's decision was easy.

"I have a very good doctor in Alaska and he had done about five of these type of surgeries," Duane said. "I made my decision and he told me he would have done the same thing."

Dr. Jensen has now performed more than 500 surgeries using the da Vinci® Surgical System, with more than 100 robotic prostatectomy procedures taking place during his first year at Cabell Huntington Hospital and the Edward Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"This trip was certainly worth it for me. Dr. Jensen is an excellent surgeon and a fine person," Duane said. "If you have to have prostate cancer, Huntington and the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center is the best place to go with the best doctor. If you need fresh salmon or halibut, then you come to Alaska."