Doug Kristensen had no symptoms. He wasn’t sick. In fact, he says he had gone years without missing work because of illness.
That’s why the phone call caught him off guard.
After a routine screening and follow-up testing, doctors discovered prostate cancer. The diagnosis was serious, but the timing may have saved his life.
“Doug, you’ve got three months,” he recalled being told. “If we can get this tackled in three months, it’s about ready to spread.”
Kristensen recently shared his story as part of the new Health Across Nebraska series, a project focused on encouraging cancer screenings and early detection in rural communities.
The former University of Nebraska at Kearney chancellor said the cancer was discovered through an MRI that doctors recommended after monitoring his PSA levels for several years.
He admits he wasn’t overly concerned at the time.
“My numbers weren’t high. They weren’t low. They were pretty steady,” Kristensen said.
The scan revealed an area that doctors wanted to investigate further. A targeted biopsy confirmed prostate cancer.
Following treatment that included radiation, Kristensen was declared cancer-free. Today, seven years later, he continues to receive regular checkups with no recurrence.
But his cancer story didn’t end there.
As part of his follow-up care, physicians encouraged him to visit a dermatologist. What he thought would be a routine appointment uncovered multiple skin cancers that otherwise may have gone unnoticed.
“I would have never found out had somebody not suggested I go get a test and a screening,” Kristensen said.
That experience has made him a strong advocate for preventive care, especially in rural Nebraska where many people tend to delay medical appointments until symptoms become impossible to ignore.
“We’re kind of pull-ourselves-up-by-our-bootstraps people,” Kristensen said. “We don’t like to admit weakness. We don’t like to look at those kinds of things.”
Kristensen hopes sharing his story will encourage others to have conversations with their doctors and take advantage of screening opportunities before problems become more serious.
Future Health Across Nebraska conversations will feature physicians, survivors and other Nebraskans sharing their experiences with cancer detection, treatment and prevention.
The full conversation can be viewed below.