Lanse's Story
Meet Lanse
Prostate Cancer Surivor and Kosj Yamoah, MD, PhD - Radiation Oncologist
"When I think about courage and cancer I think about community."
Lanse was no stranger to cancer.
He watched loved ones — his father, mother and sister — battle and ultimately beat the disease.
But even so, he said nothing could prepare him for the news that he had prostate cancer.
And then, as his family members had done before him, he gathered his resolve.
Lanse tackles prostate cancer treatment
“When I heard that word [cancer], I was determined to get through it,” says Lanse
Because of his family history, he chose to receive treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center.
Lanse and his wife of 30 years, Mary, met with Dr. Kosj Yamoah to determine what treatment option was best. Lanse decided against surgery and chose radiation therapy, which meant daily appointments.
It was during those daily visits, Lanse and Dr. Yamoah got to know each other not only as patient and doctor but as sons of ministers who shared a passion for their family, faith and helping others.
“Dr. Yamoah cares about people and what he’s doing very much,” says Lanse, an attorney and board member of the Innocence Project of Florida. “In me, he not only saw a patient but a human being.”
Aside from years of researching prostate cancer and treating patients, Dr. Yamoah personally knew the courage and strength it took to face prostate cancer.
His son Zion had just turned 3 years old when he was diagnosed with a rare pediatric brain tumor. The little boy, who never lost his love to sing even during aggressive cancer treatment, passed away 18 months later.
Courage. It’s a word Lanse and Dr. Yamoah understand deeply.
“Courage and cancer are polar opposites, but courage always wins,” says Dr. Yamoah.
Lanse couldn’t agree more. In November, he rang the celebratory bell to signify the end of his treatment. He was officially a cancer survivor.
Dr. Yamoah hopes sharing Zion’s story helped Lanse and may help others with cancer through tough times.
“[The story] gives them more hope that they didn't walk into a building full of people that don't understand their pain and don’t really feel what they're going through,” Dr. Yamoah says.
The whole experience has inspired Lanse, who as a founding member of Moffitt’s George Edgecomb Society, advocates for research and education addressing cancer health disparities in the African-American community.
