Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: From Riverside Health System, this is the Healthy youy Podcast where we talk about a range of health related topics focused on improving your physical and mental health. We chat with our providers, team members, patients and caregivers to learn more about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and improve overall physical and mental health. So let's dive in to learn more about becoming a healthier you.
Welcome to the Healthy youy the Podcast where we explore everyday health topics and connect with you with stories that inspire, educate, and remind us that we are never alone on our healthy journey. I'm your host, Frankie Myers. Today we're joined by someone whose story is not just about surviving cancer, but about faith, resilience, community, and the importance of paying attention to your health. Mario Johnson is a nurse, military veteran, husband, father and prostate cancer survivor who is sharing his personal journey from diagnosis to recovery.
His experience reminds us that sometimes the biggest challenges in life can also reveal our greatest source of strength. Mario, thank you for joining me today.
[00:01:11] Speaker B: Thank you for having me.
[00:01:14] Speaker A: All right, before we talk about your prostate cancer journey, tell us a little bit about yourself, your family, your cancer, and the life you were living before this diagnosis.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: Well, you nicely summed it up already.
[00:01:27] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:01:28] Speaker B: Thank you so much.
So beforehand I came here, down here from Connecticut. My wife and I and our small child came down here 2016.
I came down here. I work in the Hampton VA. I'm an emergency room nurse.
New nurse is what my wife says. I'm not a new nurse so much anymore since again, 2016 or so. Yes.
But I am just glad to be here.
I started going to the church I'm in now, Liberty live church in 2018.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: I've attended before.
[00:02:03] Speaker B: Yes, yes, it was lovely. Yeah, we, we were. My wife was like finding that she was really homesick. She's very family oriented.
And so we were looking for something, you know, to, you know, community, church, family. And we found so much more being part of that group. Once we got there, we were immediately welcomed and we felt at home. And I know now how important that is to have that church, family and that support group around us.
[00:02:33] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:02:34] Speaker B: So been working there.
Well, working at the VA, like I said, since 2016, going to the church since 2018.
Never thought, even thought about cancer being part of me. Well, I do have a brother who had colon cancer and I thought, okay, well, that might be something I have to worry about. I need to keep an eye on that. So I did make sure to get screenings for that.
Prostate cancer came out of left field. Something definitely not on my radar. That I ever thought that would be something for me.
So when they told me, and being a vet myself, I get regular checkups. They screen me and so on and so forth.
They found it first or elevated PSA in 2022.
I was like, what is that okay?
[00:03:25] Speaker A: Right.
[00:03:26] Speaker B: You know, But I felt fine, so I didn't really do much about it. And when they said, okay, we're gonna do another check, all right, you're still elevated. All right, sure. I still feel fine. So I admit, I guess I was dragging my feet about it, and I really wasn't worried so much.
[00:03:47] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:03:48] Speaker B: And I kind of forgot about it.
Thankfully, the VA didn't forget, and they reminded me. Pa Weaver, he called me up and said, hey, what's going on with this? You were supposed to get consults. You're supposed to follow up, and so on and so forth. And, you know, of course Covid happened and so on. And I was like, oh, well, I kind of just let it go to the wayside.
He was like, we need to stay on top of this.
So he made sure to get me re back into the system.
They eventually did a biopsy where they found that I had a gleason score of 7, which apparently that's pretty high from the. Basically, two of the samples were.
Were serious.
So that's when he said, okay, we need to start talking about what you're going to do from there.
[00:04:43] Speaker A: Okay, wow.
Well, it's important. It just reiterates the importance of, you know, having your screenings, having the relationship with your physician, your providers.
Absolutely important. And key.
What was going through your mind when you first heard this? Obviously, I could tell just from as you talk about, it was a shock.
But what was going through your mind?
[00:05:08] Speaker B: Well, like I said, at first, it was. I wasn't really thinking about it so much.
My wife, she's a dnp, nurse practitioner, doctorate. And so she was more like, okay, you gotta take this seriously. But she wasn't trying to press me too hard, didn't want to rush me.
I. Like I said, I kept putting it off, putting it off, putting it off till the VA finally said, you need to do something about this.
The hard stop for me actually happened was when I was supposed to get the surgery, because the way they explained it to me, that I could either go the radiation route, chemo, so on and so forth, or the surgery route, but if I do radiation first, I can't do surgery later. So it's either I do surgery first, and then possibly if there's a nest, it's necessary, then I can do radiation later on. It's like, all right, well, I guess if I only have. I'll do surgery, right? And that was scheduled at another facility around July.
So around that time.
Because, I mean, being a vet, I guess we have a tendency to kind of hide our feelings and just be like, you know, push it down and so on and so forth.
But my wife, you know, she's like, you know what? I know you feel you have these feelings and what's going to happen? So on and so forth. So a friend of mine from church, he was going to be leaving the area, and he wanted to sell his bike, his motorcycle. And my wife always knew that I kind of liked the idea of riding a motorcycle. I was a new rider. I hadn't really been riding. I mean, I had my license, but I hadn't been riding. So I knew rider.
So I bought it.
Great deal. Good, good mic.
And so I started riding. I even took the class.
Three weeks later, I had a wreck.
[00:06:58] Speaker A: Oh, no.
[00:06:59] Speaker B: What we call a high side.
Suffice it to say, I broke my right hip and ruptured my left shoulder.
[00:07:06] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness.
[00:07:07] Speaker B: So they took me to Riverside because that's the trauma hospital in the area.
And I had no idea what was going on at the time, but I know I needed to cry out to my Lord.
And because I am a heavy believer, I am devout believer in Christ Jesus, my savior.
And so I was crying, but they said, well, yeah, if you're in pain, cry out. So I'm like, well, if I'm gonna cry out, I'm gonna cry out to God.
[00:07:35] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: So I was as.
We find it funny now, you know, I was trying to sing, and I was not singing very well.
So I was like, holy, holy tears streaming down my eyes like that. But that's the only way I could process it.
So when I got to the hospital, you know, they were great. I mean, they got right into the ED right away, just a flurry of people around us coordinated and, you know, did. Did everything they had to do. Got me right through later on when I found out that I had the broken hip.
And then they were like, oh, he's supposed to get prostate surgery within the next week.
And I was told, well, the other facility said, well, we can't do that because there's risk of infection and so on and so forth. We can't do that because. So my wife and a member of my church, Maria, um, they are forces of nature in themselves. And they were adamant that. He was like, no, he is going to get this, he's been dragging his feet long enough, and he is not going anyplace. So while he's down, we're going to take care of this.
[00:08:49] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:50] Speaker B: So they. So the accident happened on July 15. They did the surgery towards my hip and my shoulder on the 17th.
The week after, they were able to contact Dr. Burgess.
And he was on vacation in Africa, let alone. And who answers their phone while on vacation? But he answers his phone and he said, yeah, I'll be back and we can do this. So the next week, my surgery was scheduled for July 24th.
He met me prior beforehand. Very nice gentleman, him and his entire team. Thank you so much.
And we had a moment, and he let me know that he's a Christian, too. He let me know that what made me feel the most comfortable was that he expressed to me that how he is a tool also that he recognizes that God works through him. That he's a tool, He's a vessel. Yes. And that he could be a vessel. And his hands are doing the work that God allows him to do. He's using those talents.
[00:09:52] Speaker A: Yes. What a wonderful story.
[00:09:53] Speaker B: So that was one of the things that made me feel much more comfortable.
[00:09:57] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:09:58] Speaker B: And.
Yeah.
[00:10:00] Speaker A: Good, good, good. All right.
And thankfully, the surgery itself went well. You're here today looking well. What was the recovery like afterwards?
[00:10:12] Speaker B: Well, the coordination team was great. Again, they were coordinating between multiple disciplines, between urology, between orthopedics, the whole team, Dr. Anderson and Dr. Landry and his whole team and. Too many people to mention, right? Absolutely. On the orthoped, Dr. Burgess, N.P. oye. On the urology side and all their team.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: You have a good memory. You did good.
[00:10:38] Speaker B: Again. I wish I could remember all the other people, the nurses, I mean, even the EMS people that came in. I mean, everybody was so kind.
That's good.
And, you know, I mean, it was painful.
And my wife made sure that to decorate the room with. We had scripture and so on and so forth.
So we wanted people that came to our room to recognize that the Lord is manifest in this place.
And quick sidebar. Even when I went to radiology and I had to get the CT before I knew that my hip was broken, moving my. Myself, moving me from the stretcher to the CT area, that's obviously very painful because, you know, to move me.
So I was screaming, but again, I was screaming out to God.
[00:11:29] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:11:30] Speaker B: I was saying, thank you, thank you, thank you, everybody that came into work today. Because again, being an ER nurse. I know. Yeah. Some days you can't show Up. So I was thanking everybody for showing up. And when I had to come out, one of the texts was like, you know what? A lot of times people curse at us, but you blessed us, so thank you for that.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: So.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: And I was like, yeah. Because I know from that situation when you're having to deal with somebody that's in pain, they don't. They're not really in their right mind.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: Right.
[00:11:57] Speaker B: And they could say some things. And I'm like, whatever I'm going to say. I want to try to be positive. It was loud.
[00:12:04] Speaker A: Right.
[00:12:04] Speaker B: But it was positive. And. But, yes, the entire team, they coordinated.
They visited me often.
[00:12:13] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:13] Speaker B: And they coordinated my care afterwards, my therapy sessions afterwards, because I made it known from the beginning my goal is to leave here.
The team didn't want to rush me. They said, well, okay, we got to get taken care of. So no rush. But, yes, I am so grateful.
[00:12:36] Speaker A: That's good. That's good stuff.
Throughout your story, there are a few themes that keep coming up. Faith, obviously, number one, so important, family and community.
You talked openly about how your faith sustained you doing some of these, some of this difficult time. Can you share more about that? And then, obviously, a little. There's some uniqueness there. You had, like, three surgeries in one, right?
[00:13:04] Speaker B: Yeah. So I was. I was cut open a few times. Yes.
[00:13:07] Speaker A: A few times.
[00:13:09] Speaker B: My shoulder.
The prostate, ironically enough, the actual prostate surgery itself was the least.
[00:13:15] Speaker A: That's what I was gonna get because
[00:13:17] Speaker B: they did the robotic surgery. So, I mean, I have a couple, you know, scars exactly where they did the arthroscopic.
But those are not the biggest scars.
[00:13:29] Speaker A: That's good for our viewers.
[00:13:30] Speaker B: Yeah, right. Yeah, those were. Those. If I hadn't been for anything else, I would have been just, you know,
[00:13:35] Speaker A: now, you know, compare. You had something to compare it to. That was a walk in the park. Yeah, right.
[00:13:39] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. The biggest.
[00:13:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:13:42] Speaker B: My hip and my shoulder, those are the ones that really stand out. But they're neat. They're neat. But, yeah. So they made sure to recognize where I was and recognize what I needed.
And I am humbled by the amount of love and support that I got.
Yes.
What sustained me, obviously, first and foremost, was my Lord and Savior, my faith in him. Because I'm a night person, I work nights at the hospital, so I tend to be more awake at night.
So, I mean, God bless my wife, she would. She made sure to stay in the little chair next to me while I was sleeping.
I told her, honey, I know you're not comfortable.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: Go home.
[00:14:37] Speaker B: But she. She stayed there. And again, I'm so grateful also to the family, my church family that took care. We have a small special needs child.
[00:14:44] Speaker A: Right.
[00:14:45] Speaker B: So they took care of him. Yes, they took care of our clinic. We. We have the Love the Tree of Life clinic. They took over there. So they were trying to alleviate a lot of the burdens we had at home.
[00:14:55] Speaker A: Right.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: So she could be there at my side.
[00:14:59] Speaker A: That's.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: And so while she was there, but she's asleep. And so at night, in the dark, while I'm just, you know, I'm wrestling with God right there.
And, you know, and I'm not ashamed to say that, yeah, I had some arguments with him and. But he welcomed that. He allowed me to do that. He allowed me to express my pain.
Why me? Why is this happening to me? Why is this? What did I do?
But I'm grateful that he allowed me to at least say that, well, you know what? I'm not going to waste this situation that from everywhere, from the fire department team that picked me up where I was crying scripture crying, and to the emergency room, to the radiology, to everywhere along and where.
When nurses would come into our room and we could hear, you know, other people suffering outside and that they would be able to come in and say, you know what? This room is very peaceful.
[00:16:01] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:02] Speaker B: And they felt a moment of peace, and we were able to give back to them and say, you know what? How can we pray for you? And they're surprised. They're like, well, we came to care for you and you want to care for us. And again, I'm saying, hey, I'm a nurse. I see where you're coming from. I get it. So we want to care, because so many times we are so worried about everybody else, we forget to care for ourselves.
[00:16:23] Speaker A: That's true.
[00:16:24] Speaker B: So I'm grateful that we were able to give back that way.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: That's a nice, nice point. You were able to minister to them even in the midst of all your pain.
Yes. Yes.
There were times when you were dealing with uncertainty. How did you stay grounded? And you talked a little bit about that.
It's clear to me that faith really was the foundation.
[00:16:47] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. My firm foundation, my faith, my church, my family, work colleagues that came by, people that I didn't. I wouldn't necessarily have thought, oh, you came to visit me. Right. Even the first day I went to therapy, because again, Riverside was so great in coordinating not just my care in the hospital, but my aftercare, where I was able to go to Riverside Therapy.
[00:17:17] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:17] Speaker B: Rehabilitation Exactly. Rehab, physical therapy.
I was like, I want to go home. They were like, no, no, you're not ready to go home.
So I spent two weeks in the hospital and then one week over in physical rehab.
And the day I was checking in, one of my work colleagues was there. I was like, are you visiting somebody else? No, I'm here to see you.
[00:17:39] Speaker A: Oh, my God.
[00:17:40] Speaker B: And he later expressed to me that it was because he had seen me praying with somebody. Praying with a patient in the er. We get a lot of mental health people with having mental health crisis.
And because he saw that, he said, okay, no, Mario, he's not just doing this for fake. He's not doing this for show. He lives it out what he believes.
So that made him feel like, yeah, he wanted to visit me. So, again, I'm so humbled by the amount of love and support that I've gotten from everyone to the pastor of my church, to just people that I randomly.
[00:18:16] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:17] Speaker B: Saw and that came by to visit me and to wish me well and to give me a hug.
Yeah, yeah.
[00:18:25] Speaker A: You were getting back what you gave out. Just so I came back to you. That's. That's really nice to see that. Yes. For sure.
Recovery doesn't end when surgery's over and you talked about your rehab journey. Even though we wish that were true. I'm sure.
What was it like with physical therapy and all of the treatment emotionally for you?
[00:18:49] Speaker B: Again, fantastic.
They again, had to urge me to slow down because I have a tendency maybe to try to push things again. Goalie oriented. I want to go home, but I understand, okay, I have to slow down or I have to allow them to do. To work with me.
So I did all the physical therapy that they recommended even a little bit more. So they even really helped me out. Now, being a veteran myself, I was very fortunate that I had my own work insurance as well as my veteran insurance to take care of me. So they helped me because I don't know how to deal with all that stuff, all that paperwork. So they were very good about helping me coordinate all that stuff and.
And deal with that. So that's one less burden I had to deal with.
So that makes me even more empathized with people that don't have that. That don't have people to work with them, because I've heard stories.
[00:19:49] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:19:51] Speaker B: So I'm glad that they were willing and very proactive in working with me for that and grateful. Yeah. I got out after seven days. They were like, that is very surprising with somebody with your injuries to get out that soon.
[00:20:07] Speaker A: You were motivated to get out on time, so credit to them. And obviously looking at you today, you're a true testament that rehab works. You're back. You're back on your motorcycle, so I can't see any deficits. So that's a good story there. Yes.
What are you most grateful for today?
[00:20:25] Speaker B: I'm grateful for the opportunity to share this testimony.
I mean, even being here right now, I'm nervous, you know, I'm not used to this.
[00:20:35] Speaker A: Well, you're doing a great job.
[00:20:37] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. But as I keep reminding myself, I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing this for somebody else. I'm doing this for somebody else that wants to hear this, that needs to hear this story that is not fun.
And I'm not going to tell anybody that I'm happy for this, what happened, but I'm glad that I had the support. I'm glad that it happened in a way that I was able to be supported by my community, by my church, to be able to live my faith, to be able to share my faith and to be a testimony for somebody else.
All glory to God for all that has happened here. Because I have. I have peace that is beyond understanding. I have joy that the world finds very confusing.
[00:21:34] Speaker A: Right.
[00:21:35] Speaker B: Because it is confusing. How can you be glad while you're still crying and in pain and.
And the pain's not over? I mean, there's some times, I mean, it feels like, you know, like burning in my hip, the prostate side.
[00:21:54] Speaker A: Right.
[00:21:55] Speaker B: Not so much painful, but there's stuff I have to deal with there. There, too.
[00:22:01] Speaker A: Right.
[00:22:01] Speaker B: But I'm so glad that I have the Riverside urology team to be able to talk with.
I'm so glad that I have the VA team, like I said, PA Weber to talk with, that they listen.
And so long as I'm willing to share with them, they're willing to work with me as much as I'm able to work with them.
[00:22:28] Speaker A: All right, so I know you mentioned your strong sense of community throughout our conversation today.
What I hear is that you've become involved with Riverside's Men in Blue support group. And are you continuing to serve others through your work with the ministry in this organization?
[00:22:49] Speaker B: Yes. Yes.
[00:22:50] Speaker A: Very good.
[00:22:50] Speaker B: Yeah. That's how I heard about this podcast nurse, Mary. She.
I've only been to one because, again, I work nights, so my schedule is really hectic.
But that one day I went and I was invited by a church member. Steve said, you know, you need to come to this group. And, you know, and I'd heard about it, but again, when I.
The urging and being reminded that, again, community, we're not meant to do this life alone, that I said, okay, I'll go. I had an opportunity. And they were like, okay, yeah, we need somebody to do this podcast. And when I told them my testimony, everybody pretty much pointed at me and
[00:23:28] Speaker A: said, you do this, you need to do it. Well, it does inspire and help others. The more that we share and talk about our journey, I'm glad.
[00:23:35] Speaker B: I'm glad that a chance. Because again, we are. I am privileged to be able to give back. Like I said in our.
My wife and I, we have the Life Love, the Tree of Life clinic where we serve people in the community.
Like I said, my wife being a dnp, whether it's a sandwich, whether it's a shower, some clean clothes, and some medical services, we are not doing it for ourselves.
We are not really even doing it for the community. We're doing it because of the love of Jesus, and that's how we live it out. And if this gives me a chance to be able to show that love, then that's why I'm here.
[00:24:19] Speaker A: Absolutely.
All right, well, thank you so much for joining me today, Mario. I have been inspired and also learned so much from you, and I know that your story is going to help others.
And if it inspires one person to go get screened and tested and have early treatment, we've done our job here today.
[00:24:40] Speaker B: I pray for that. Yes.
[00:24:41] Speaker A: Come back anytime.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: Get your screenings.
[00:24:44] Speaker A: All right.
All righty.
Let's talk directly to the men listening today.
Looking back, what's the biggest lessons you've learned about early detection and screening?
[00:24:55] Speaker B: Get your screenings and talk to them about what. What alternatives there are so you're fully informed.
I didn't realize because, again, I was dragging my feet, so I wasn't really talking to them.
I, you know, if I had, perhaps I would have realized that I could have been doing pelvic floor training ahead of time. That would have helped me later on that I could talk to them about what other medications are. Might be helpful for after.
That would have been helpful.
So I recognize that, yeah, if I had been more forthright. But I'm glad that, again, that there.
Nobody on the team has ever kind of, you know, was like, hey, berated me. It's all been like, well, okay, this is where we are now. How can we move forward?
[00:25:46] Speaker A: Absolutely. Absolutely. What would you say to someone who keeps putting it off that appointment that's screening that test?
[00:25:53] Speaker B: It's not necessary. It's not necessary.
I'm not saying that it's comfortable, but it's a lot easier if you just talk, be open, come to the groups. You have a chance to talk to other people who have lived through this, and it makes it not so unnatural.
[00:26:16] Speaker A: Okay. Okay.
And for families who may be encouraging a loved one, I know, not only with this screening, but other screenings, what would you want them to know?
[00:26:27] Speaker B: Your support is so invaluable, so, so important.
I.
Yeah,
[00:26:44] Speaker A: yeah.
[00:26:47] Speaker B: My wife has been so good by my side.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:26:53] Speaker B: And I can't thank God enough for the spirit that she has in her right to support me and to be understanding, have.
And while I was still in the wheelchair from the accident and the first time we were able to go back into church, she was pushing me in the wheelchair. And, you know, we were joking. It's like, oh, you get to push me around.
[00:27:26] Speaker A: Right, Right.
[00:27:27] Speaker B: And she just loved on me so much that.
And the first time I got back to church, I mean, I just openly wept just to know that. Yeah. Through the fire, through all the storms, God has been with me by my side. He's never left me. And that he sends people in our lives to
[00:27:57] Speaker A: minister to us and minister and restore. Yes, absolutely.
Absolutely. Mario, thank you so much for sharing your story. Being so honest, transparent, and courageous, your journey reminds us that a diagnosis does not define a person.
Behind every medical chart is a life, a family, a story, and a community helping, caring for the person forward. So thank you again to our listeners. If Mario's story inspired you, let it also be a reminder to stay on top of your health screenings, ask questions, and don't ignore changes in your health. And as always, taking care of your health is an important part of a healthier you. Until next time, stay healthy.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Healthy youy. We're so glad you were able to join us today and learn more about this topic. If you would like to explore more, go to riversideonline.com.
