First Person: John Kerry
Senator, survivor, supporter
Edited by Debra Ruder
On the U.S. presidential campaign trail in 2004, Democratic candidate (and cancer survivor) Kerry greeted voters in St. Paul, Minn.
After U.S. Sen. John Kerry underwent prostate cancer surgery in February 2003, he felt lucky — lucky that his illness was caught early, that he had access to good care, that he had support from wife Teresa Heinz Kerry and many others, and that his health insurance covered the procedure. "I felt lucky to pick myself back up, cancer-free, and keep going," the longtime Massachusetts legislator recalls. Diagnosed in December 2002 with early-stage disease while in the midst of a presidential campaign, he opted to have his prostate gland removed. The physically active Kerry, now 63, shows his support for Dana-Farber in various ways, including cycling in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge fundraiser.
In this interview with Paths of Progress, the senator reflects on his encounter with cancer and the importance of working toward better diagnoses and cures for all.
How did your outlook on cancer change after you went through diagnosis and surgery?
I think like most people, I used to have a gut-level view of cancer as a death sentence. I'd lost friends, and in 2000 I'd lost my father to prostate cancer that was caught too late.
What's amazing is that when you're diagnosed and start sharing the news with others, you instantly join a fraternity of people you never before realized were linked by having battled and survived cancer. In my case, the calls came in from [former Kansas Sen.] Bob Dole, [ex-White House Chief of Staff] Hamilton Jordan, [former New York City Mayor] Rudy Giuliani, and various athletes and business executives. Everyone had advice to share — their diet, their doctors, books to read, you name it.
I didn't realize how common my experience was; you quickly become an expert and can start rattling off the statistics. Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer. Caught early on, it is highly curable if you act. One in six men will get prostate cancer, but only one in 34 will die of the disease [according to the American Cancer Society]. I had this immediate sense of 'Thank God for Teresa' because she's the one who always pushes me to see a doctor, to get tested, to stay on top of it all. She saved my life.
Teresa Heinz Kerry helped sustain her husband through his cancer treatment.
Some people say having cancer made them stronger and cemented bonds with their loved ones. Did you have that experience?
Teresa was incredible — it was as if she was battling cancer herself. She researched doctors and treatments and was right beside me every step of the way. My daughter Vanessa was studying to be a doctor, and she was always giving me advice. The family was deeply involved in the whole process; we went through it together. They even made me a wristband with their photos on it, which I wore into surgery.
What options were available for your treatment, and how did you decide which route to take: surgery vs. watch and wait, radiation, or radioactive seed implants?
Teresa and I researched all the options. After learning that radiation wasn't a fail-safe choice [because it doesn't always get all the cancer], I decided to have my prostate removed. My dad had radiation, and I saw how it had affected him. There was no way I wanted to go through that. Because of my age at the time, 59, I felt that surgery was the best option. I couldn't be more blessed with how things turned out.
Teresa had read about a nerve-sparing prostate operation that appealed to a lot of men my age. The fact that [I could have it done near] Washington was a plus because it allowed me to recuperate without having to miss a lot of votes in the Senate. I could also have staff over to the house so I didn't fall too far behind. But I missed Boston; there's nothing like being at home.
Were you concerned that going public about your cancer would affect your chances in the Presidential election?
I wanted to make my announcement on my terms, on my timetable, after all my family and friends knew. I didn't want anyone I cared about to hear the news and think the worst. I also wanted and needed to be up-front with people, and I wanted to take the sting out of the word 'cancer.'You know, prostate cancer didn't slow Rudy Giuliani down after Sept. 11. At that point, I also thought that by being open and relaxed about it, I could help encourage others to get tested. It was never an issue in the campaign.
John Kerry joined nearly 4,300 cyclists in the 2006 Pan-Massachusetts Challenge bikeathon last August to help bolster Dana-Farber's work. It was his third time as a PMC rider.
Although you have been declared cancer-free, do you take certain precautions to protect your health?
I get tested every six months just to be sure, and also try to get out on my bike whenever I can. Teresa makes sure I remain very health-conscious, and has assumed the unpleasant task of making me eat wisely — which can be hard because I have a weak spot for chocolate chip cookies and a habit of finding fast food when I'm on the road. But I'm motivated to stay well, in part because my doctors said one of the reasons I recovered so quickly was because I was pretty healthy in the first place.
What advice would you offer others about protecting their prostate health?
I cannot stress enough the importance of getting tested early and often. Receiving an early diagnosis, as well as proper treatment for your individual case, can make the difference, quite literally — not just between life and death, but also in terms of your quality of life over decades.
At a cancer disparities summit last September, you said, 'When it comes to prostate cancer, too many African-American men are dying in a healthcare system that fails to respond to their needs.' Why isn't there more outreach to African-American communities to encourage early detection?
This bothers me like you would not believe. It's one of those things you learn after you're diagnosed, that it really is 'there but for the Grace of God go I.' Except that it's more than that — it's race, it's income, it's privilege. I was lucky. Senators give themselves great health care, and even if they didn't, I was going to be OK because I had a family I could count on to find the best treatment. Then I found out more and more.
My friend Tom Farrington — an African-American prostate cancer survivor from Massachusetts — and I have been working on dealing with these racial disparities, both in outreach and treatment, as well as access to preventive care. I think it's great that Tom has become a Dana-Farber trustee and can help the Institute continue its efforts to address healthcare inequities. [See related story, Saving lives by education one man at a time.] Dana-Farber has always brought tremendous comfort and support to families experiencing unbelievable hardships. Its commitment to helping find cures gives hope to thousands, as does its belief in caring for the 'whole patient.'
You and several members of Congress have been open about your bouts with cancer; do you have a special kind of kinship that transcends political or other differences?
"What's amazing is that when you're diagnosed and start sharing the news with others, you instantly join a fraternity of people you never before realized were linked by having battled and survived cancer."
In a sense, they're my second 'band of brothers.' It doesn't matter whether we're Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative — we're just guys with impossible schedules and a lot of responsibility who are going through something challenging and exhausting while remaining in the public eye. So we do have a lot to share with each other.
At a time when federal funding for cancer research is, at best, flat, do you worry about the U.S. losing its edge in this area?
Absolutely — and it's unacceptable. We have tremendous opportunities to save lives, all of them moral, practical, and economically smart. But we're being held back — on stem cell research, on funding, you name it. Research used to be an area where everyone recognized that part of the American character was to push the bounds of discovery — it's who we are, from [explorers] Lewis and Clark to the polio vaccine. That consensus seems to have been frayed by ideology. We need to have more debate on this issue so Americans understand what is at stake here — not merely American preeminence in cancer research, but progress toward cures that can benefit people all over the world.
Can you describe what it's like to ride the PMC bike-a-thon with so many survivors and others on the course?
The Pan-Mass Challenge is such a great event. This year [2006] was my third time riding in it. As always, it was incredibly emotional and powerful to be surrounded by so many other cancer survivors, and to also realize how truly blessed I am to be alive.
(For a look at Dana-Farber's research inroads into prostate cancer, see Seeking answers.)
