Hardin cancer care turns fear into gratitude for prostate cancer patient
Pat Pearl was sitting in the waiting room at Baptist Health Hardin, scared of what was to come next, when something unexpected caught his attention.
A prayer came over the intercom in Spanish.
“I don't know what it said, but it was one of the most beautiful things I ever heard,” he recalled. “And I knew I was going to be okay.”
Pat was diagnosed with stage 3C prostate cancer in the summer of 2025. An attempt to surgically remove his prostate was unsuccessful after complications prevented the procedure from being completed. His urologist, Allison Cardin, MD, referred him to radiation oncologist William Porter, MD.
“I was scared,” Pat said. “I was absolutely scared to death.”
Those fears settled relatively quickly after meeting his physician.
“He was so kind to me,” Pat said of Dr. Porter. “He cares about you and explains things so that you can understand.”
Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA within cancer cells so those cells die. Pat’s treatment meant 28 visits to the radiation oncology team, beginning around late November and ending in January.
On his first day, overwhelmed by what he was facing, he cried as he prepared for his treatment. He remembers the kindness and patience of the care team at the cancer center.
“One of them held my hand and talked me through it,” he said. “The medical assistants there, the radiation therapists, were off the charts great.”
Compassion is central to the way Melissa Rock, director of oncology at Baptist Health Hardin, describes the program. She has seen oncology through the eyes of both a caregiver and a leader, beginning her career at Hardin more than two decades ago as an infusion nurse.
What continues to drive her passion for the profession is the patients.
“There are so many needs in oncology – not only physical needs but social and behavioral health needs, too,” she said. “Our patients are so gracious and really help you connect to why you’re here.
We don’t treat them as the colon cancer or the breast cancer patient,” she continued. “We know this is Edward, and that's Janet. They're a mother of three children with four dogs and two cats – we know so much about these patients. You really get to connect with them, and they become part of your family.”
Pat felt that connection over the course of his own treatment.
He remembers radiation therapists Brandon, Kelly, and Elaina by name, along with Sarah, Cindy, Britney, Allyson, Jamie and Amanda. He’s also quick to praise nurse practitioner Erin. Months after his final treatment, he still talks with some members of the team.
This level of advanced, yet personal, care was available without Pat having to travel far from home. He lives in Big Clifty, about 30 minutes outside of Elizabethtown, part of a service area that brings patients and families from more than 10 counties to Baptist Health Hardin’s cancer center.
The cancer center is housed inside the $225.6 million medical pavilion, which opened in October 2024, and includes donor-supported improvements like private infusion areas overlooking the healing garden, three infusion rooms with beds for acutely ill patients, massage chairs and a nurse call-light system.
“I didn't even know we had all of this available right there,” Pat said. “I live very close, and I didn't even know that was up there.”
By his six-month follow-up, Pat’s prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, had fallen to nearly zero, which was an encouraging sign that his cancer had responded well to treatment.
“I just felt really good,” he said. “And I've felt really good ever since then.”
But he measures the experience in more than test results. He says the experience changed him.
“I'm not even close to the same person I was before I went in there,” he said.
His work with TACK, an Elizabethtown company that provides transportation services, brings him back to the cancer center regularly. His mind wanders back to the person who held his hand through his first treatment and of a medical team that became people he still talks about months later.
Those visits stir up plenty of emotion, but more than anything, he feels gratitude.
“Every time I go through the doors, tears come to my eyes,” he said. “I couldn't imagine getting better care anywhere. I mean, it was that good.”
A prayer came over the intercom in Spanish.
“I don't know what it said, but it was one of the most beautiful things I ever heard,” he recalled. “And I knew I was going to be okay.”
Pat was diagnosed with stage 3C prostate cancer in the summer of 2025. An attempt to surgically remove his prostate was unsuccessful after complications prevented the procedure from being completed. His urologist, Allison Cardin, MD, referred him to radiation oncologist William Porter, MD.
“I was scared,” Pat said. “I was absolutely scared to death.”
Those fears settled relatively quickly after meeting his physician.
“He was so kind to me,” Pat said of Dr. Porter. “He cares about you and explains things so that you can understand.”
Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA within cancer cells so those cells die. Pat’s treatment meant 28 visits to the radiation oncology team, beginning around late November and ending in January.
On his first day, overwhelmed by what he was facing, he cried as he prepared for his treatment. He remembers the kindness and patience of the care team at the cancer center.
“One of them held my hand and talked me through it,” he said. “The medical assistants there, the radiation therapists, were off the charts great.”
Compassion is central to the way Melissa Rock, director of oncology at Baptist Health Hardin, describes the program. She has seen oncology through the eyes of both a caregiver and a leader, beginning her career at Hardin more than two decades ago as an infusion nurse.
What continues to drive her passion for the profession is the patients.
“There are so many needs in oncology – not only physical needs but social and behavioral health needs, too,” she said. “Our patients are so gracious and really help you connect to why you’re here.
We don’t treat them as the colon cancer or the breast cancer patient,” she continued. “We know this is Edward, and that's Janet. They're a mother of three children with four dogs and two cats – we know so much about these patients. You really get to connect with them, and they become part of your family.”
Pat felt that connection over the course of his own treatment.
He remembers radiation therapists Brandon, Kelly, and Elaina by name, along with Sarah, Cindy, Britney, Allyson, Jamie and Amanda. He’s also quick to praise nurse practitioner Erin. Months after his final treatment, he still talks with some members of the team.
This level of advanced, yet personal, care was available without Pat having to travel far from home. He lives in Big Clifty, about 30 minutes outside of Elizabethtown, part of a service area that brings patients and families from more than 10 counties to Baptist Health Hardin’s cancer center.
The cancer center is housed inside the $225.6 million medical pavilion, which opened in October 2024, and includes donor-supported improvements like private infusion areas overlooking the healing garden, three infusion rooms with beds for acutely ill patients, massage chairs and a nurse call-light system.
“I didn't even know we had all of this available right there,” Pat said. “I live very close, and I didn't even know that was up there.”
By his six-month follow-up, Pat’s prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, had fallen to nearly zero, which was an encouraging sign that his cancer had responded well to treatment.
“I just felt really good,” he said. “And I've felt really good ever since then.”
But he measures the experience in more than test results. He says the experience changed him.
“I'm not even close to the same person I was before I went in there,” he said.
His work with TACK, an Elizabethtown company that provides transportation services, brings him back to the cancer center regularly. His mind wanders back to the person who held his hand through his first treatment and of a medical team that became people he still talks about months later.
Those visits stir up plenty of emotion, but more than anything, he feels gratitude.
“Every time I go through the doors, tears come to my eyes,” he said. “I couldn't imagine getting better care anywhere. I mean, it was that good.”
“Every time I go through the doors, tears come to my eyes. I couldn't imagine getting better care anywhere. I mean, it was that good.”
The Dawn of a Healthier Tomorrow
Please consider partnering with us through the power of your advocacy and philanthropy. For information on how to donate, click the link below. You may also give us a call if you have questions.