Editor’s note: The American Cancer Society Telethon is honoring seven residents this weekend. The telethon is broadcast live from Penn’s Peak on cable and streaming on YouTube. Honorees are Bernard Krebs, Suzanne and Vicky Pratt, Michelle Hermany, Joe Guardiani, Allison Rankis-Solley and Emily FaRannte.

By Amy Miller

amiller@tnonline.com

Joe Guardiani has always been vigilant with getting screened for cancer.

But when a routine test came back slightly elevated for a second time, it was the quick thinking of a physician assistant, who put his family history puzzle pieces together, to help save his life.

In 2020, Guardiani received news that no one ever wants to hear.

“I had a very common cancer,” the Nesquehoning resident said of his prostate cancer diagnosis. “It’s a very treatable cancer.”

Guardiani now shares his story of trials and triumphs in the hope that it will help save someone’s life.

Because of this, Guardiani has been named one of this year’s Courage Award Winners for the American Cancer Society telethon. He will join several others Sunday night at Penn’s Peak to receive the award.

Guardiani’s journey actually began decades before his actual cancer diagnosis.

“When I first got married, I had a biopsy done on my prostate and it came up clean,” he said. “For almost 40 years, I continued to do regular screening.”

He and his brothers had been vigilant because both of their parents died from cancer.

Every screening came back normal, until one day, it didn’t.

“I went from a 3.6 to a 4.3 on my PSA (prostate specific antigen) screening,” Guardiani said, noting that the PSA score he had was just slightly elevated. A PSA test measures the level of PSA in the blood. The levels of PSA in the blood can help medical professionals determine if further testing is needed.

His doctor looked at the test and said they would wait six months and retest.

Six months later, the test was normal.

A second follow-up again showed a slightly elevated PSA.

“I had a PA, Michaela Garland, and she’s one of my heroes,” Guardiani said. “She was covering for my urologist and she was absolutely terrific.”

A physical exam didn’t show anything, but looking at the last three PSA scores, as well as Guardiani’s previous biopsy, Garland felt that more tests were needed.

Joe’s wife, Abbie, who is also a nurse, said that when she found out Garland ordered a CT scan, she was happy to see they were taking her husband’s scores seriously and not taking the wait and see approach.

“She was an angel because 4.8 is not alarming, yet she put every piece of his history together and said let’s do more,” Abbie said.

A few days later, the Guardianis received the results.

“He handed me the phone and I looked at it and said ‘Oh my God.’ The very first sentence said ‘significant for cancer,’” Abbie said.

“It took me a little while to wrap my head around it,” Guardiani said. “Both my parents died from colon cancer. My brothers and I have been screened since our 40s so when it came back with prostate cancer, it took me a little while.”

After doing some research on the treatment options, talking to friends and learning more about this type of cancer, which was an intermediate aggressive form, Guardiani decided the best route was to have a prostatectomy.

Guardiani said the whole process moved slowly due to his diagnosis happening during the height of COVID, but when it was time, his surgery went well.

However, over the next several months, Guardiani worked through side effects from the surgery and also started sinking into depression.

“I was thinking about it and it occurred to me at the time that I lost my best friend to cancer right before I was diagnosed,” Guardiani said. “So I had that on my plate. I had the pandemic. I’m working from home, being very isolated. All this kind of thinking. I started feeling that anxiety and depression that came with it.”

The couple called around and found a therapist to help and soon, life as the couple knew it, began to brighten again.

“Talking a bit about it made a world of difference to me. Having someone independent of my family who I could just talk through what I was feeling and getting close to retirement and all the fun stuff I was ready to do and then the diagnosis and surgery and how it was going to impact my daily life. Talking really made a difference for me.”

Guardiani credits Garland, his surgeon, his therapist, friends and his wife for being the reason he is back to an active, healthy individual.

He stresses the importance of listening to your body and getting the screenings you need.

Joe Guardiani is scheduled to receive his Courage Award at 7:40 p.m. Sunday at Penn’s Peak.