Larry Colle is a grateful patient of Dr. Luke Fazio who discovered that he had prostate cancer.

Earlier in the year, grateful patient Larry Colle visited his new family doctor for a routine check-up, after his original doctor had retired. His family doctor, Dr. G. Mankaryous had ordered a rectal ultrasound as part of his examination. The ultrasound revealed a lesion in his body, which lead to Larry needing to get a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which is a blood test used to screen for prostate cancer. Larry’s results came back low at 2.3, but due to this, he was advised to visit Dr. Luke Fazio as a precaution.

“As soon as Dr. Fazio’s office received my results, they phoned me immediately to see me the next day. I wasn’t too worried at first because I usually see Dr. Fazio every year, but when I met with him the next day, he examined me again and sent me to get a biopsy,” Larry said.

One month later, Larry’s biopsy results came in and that was when he found out that he had prostate cancer in the immediate stage.

The Next Steps

Dr. Fazio spent at least an hour with them answering every question they had about his prognosis, the stages of cancers, different options available and more.

A few days later, Larry and his wife Teresa, met with Dr. Fazio to discuss next steps. Larry said that Dr. Fazio spent at least an hour with them answering every question they had about his prognosis, the stages of cancers, different options available and more.

“He gave a very, very detailed explanation about why we shouldn’t just monitor it since it was at an immediate stage,” Larry said. “Then he gave us pros and cons between surgery and radiation. If I chose to take the surgical route, he said he would be able to perform a minimally-invasive surgery using the da Vinci surgical robot and if I chose radiation, it would be more difficult to have surgery afterwards because my internal organs will have changed due to the radiation.”

With those two options given to Larry and Teresa, Dr. Fazio told them to think about it for the weekend. Ultimately, they decided on surgery and Larry was immediately booked to go in a week and a half later.

Post-Surgery Experience

Larry was in surgery for three and a half hours with Dr. Fazio, and thankfully, it was a successful one with no surprises.

“I was really impressed with everything post-surgery,” Larry said. “Dr. Fazio visited me first thing in the morning to check my bandages, tape and spoke to the nurses about what I needed. He also really encouraged me to start walking immediately.”

He also added that his nurses Lovelina, Sumie and Ayan were incredibly helpful too.

“They handled my medication and knew how to use it and how not to overuse it. They were there all the time checking on me and encouraging both my wife and I. It felt like I had my own cheering squad who helped me get better. It was really a team effort.”

Now, Larry is back to work and feeling much better. Overall, Larry felt like the entire process of meeting with his family doctor to post-surgery recovery was like lightning speed.

“Hearing the results of my prognosis was startling, but because of the speed in response and my surgery being set up right away, it felt like I was in more control than being caught waiting. There wasn’t a long period of time to process the news and Dr. Fazio reassured me that it was a positive prognosis, so it helped me to not panic,” Larry said.

Lovelina was one of the three nurses who received a Gift of Gratitude from Larry.

Larry Honours Dr. Fazio and Team with Gifts of Gratitude

Because Larry received exceptional care at the Hospital from the beginning to end, he and Teresa wanted to show their appreciation to Dr. Fazio, Lovelina, Sumie and Ayan, by making a donation honouring all four of them with a Gift of Gratitude. This comes with a special pin and personalized card presented to all four recipients and helps future patients to receive excellent care, like Larry.

“We were very grateful for everything the Hospital provided us with, so we made a donation,” Larry said. “Our family wants to get involved and see how we can help the Urology department, Dr. Fazio and the whole staff, and other patients as well.”

Learn More About Gifts of Gratitude Today!

Are you grateful for the care you received at Humber River Hospital? Give a Gift of Gratitude in honour of the person or team who went above-and-beyond for you with a donation in their name. Click here to get started!

Humber River Hospital is at the forefront of surgical innovation in Canada and with donor support, we will continue to expand our Robotic Surgery Program. To learn more about how you can make a difference in expanding robotics or to make a donation, please contact Caterina Magisano at cmagisano@hrh.ca 

The da Vinci Surgical Robot is the centerpiece of the Murphy and Helen Hull Robotics Centre at Humber River Hospital. The Centre was established thanks to a transformational donation from the late Murphy and Helen Hull.