When he walked into a clinic seeking medical attention, William Boruett, 86, did not know that this would mark the start of frequent hospital visits in Kenya and India.
It started when he spotted traces of blood in his urine, something that had persisted for three years.
"My prostate was not swollen, but I used to see traces of blood in my urine, which reduced gradually," he tells Lifestyle.
In early 2012, he decided to see a doctor at Eldama Ravine Hospital, where he was referred to Baringo County Referral Hospital and later to the Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru for specialised treatment.
At the Nakuru hospital, doctors advised him to seek further care in Nairobi, where he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“After magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), I was told I had stage 3 prostate. The news was devastating; I felt healthy and couldn’t believe the cancer had reached such an advanced stage. Apart from the traces of blood in my urine, I had no other symptoms,” Mr Boruett, a retired teacher, says.
“I wanted to avoid inheritance issues if I died then,” he says.
After the diagnosis, he opted to seek medical attention in India, seeking advice from prostate cancer survivors, among them Gacheche Waruingi, the chairman of the Kenya Cancer Patients Group Association, who referred him to Bangalore in India and to a doctor at Healthcare Global Enterprises Centre (HCG).
With courage and support from family, who helped him raise Sh1.3 million, Mr Boruett sought treatment in India, where cutting-edge cyberknife technology targeted his tumour, helping to bring down his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels from a high 31 to the low single digits.
"I didn't do chemotherapy or surgery, just the cyberknife treatment. I was in a room and sat on a robot. The physicians were on a computer in the adjacent room to watch as the robot turned me around," he says.
"The robot examined every part to locate the cancer cells. As soon as the robot detected the cells, it started to work. When the machine had done its job, burning the enemy cells using atomic energy, it stopped, retreated and switched itself off. The exercise went on for three hours every other day for five days," says Mr Boruett in a book he has written telling his story.
Cyberknife is a form of radiation that uses high-energy beams of particles, or waves, to destroy cancer cells and reduce the size of tumours. The treatment is now available in Kenya, but in a few cancer hospitals.
After a month of intense treatment in India, Mr Boruett was discharged but advised to go for routine check-ups yearly, for the next six years.
Back in Kenya, he went for monthly check-ups at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, seen by a doctor who worked with the doctors in Bangalore.
“Three months in, I did another PSA test, which showed that my prostate-specific antigen (PSA) had come down drastically from the initial 31 to nine. The PSA for a normal person my age ranges from 0 to 6.5, so I was approaching the parameters of a normal person. This, to me, was more than a miracle,” he says.
From 2012 to 2018, he was put on daily pills.
In February 2013, he did another checkup, and his PSA had dropped to 5.6. In June 2013, he travelled back to Bangalore for more check-ups, which included blood tests for liver function, haemoglobin, rectal function, and blood pressure.
“On seeing the results, the doctor smiled and laughed heartily and said PSA 4.29! Go home,” says Mr Boruett.
In 2017, he was given a clean bill of health after his PSA fell to 0.238, but continued taking the daily pills that he had been prescribed for another year.
“The doctor’s words during the last check-up in India are still fresh in my ears. I remember him telling me, that if you have to come to India, it will be to tour and not treatment. I was so happy. I had been diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer, and now I am fully healed. That was just more than a miracle,” he says.
In 2018, he was inspired to write a book- 'Cancer is Not a Death Sentence and Other Short Stories,' to give hope to cancer patients and urge people to go for screening early.
“By writing about my sickness and how I overcame it, I want to give hope and bust the myth that cancer is always fatal. I also want to educate people on the importance of routine check-ups for early detection,” he says.
“I eat white meat like chicken and fish and have reduced the amount of salt, sugar, and fat in my diet,” he says.
He has since added exercises as part of his lifestyle. He says walking briskly, working on the farm, or cycling are good forms of exercises, as well as drinking plenty of water.
He also advises against smoking, which can cause lung cancer, and going for regular screening for early detection of silent killers such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.
“I know several close friends who are cancer survivors after suffering full-blown cancers and spending huge sums of money to restore their health, and now they take pride in advocating for prevention. Your greatest wealth is your health, and the secret is to live a healthy lifestyle,” reads an excerpt in his book.
The author, who has written seven books, says he is now fully healed and has resumed his favourite pastime—writing.
“Now that I am back on my feet, I went back to what I love most, which is writing. I am now doing my eighth book. I will write until I lose my memory,” says the retired Mathematics teacher.
