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| Courtesy photo/Chanute Tribune |
Bill LaRue isn't shy when it comes to telling folks about his experience as a Via Christi CyberKnife® patient.
"I'm tickled to death with it and I'll talk to anybody about it," said LaRue. "One of my friends was going to Florida for the procedure and I said, 'Wichita is a lot closer.'
A veterinarian in Chanute for over 53 years, LaRue has helped a variety of animals large and small to better health. At the same time, he has taken care of his own health with regular checkups - which paid off for him a couple years ago.
"My PSA just kept going up and up and up, checkup after checkup," LaRue said. "When it reached 7, the doctor said, 'We need to do something about this' and he thought I was a good candidate for CyberKnife."
Coming to Wichita for five CyberKnife treatments over two weeks in June 2009 was an easy choice, LaRue said.
"I was ready for anything but cutting," he said with a laugh. "Wichita is easy to get around in, and it's only about a two-hour drive from Chanute." He was "very, very happy with the whole, excellent crew over there," from Dr. Joseph Kelley, his radiation oncologist, to everyone who worked with him, explaining fully in advance and providing an upbeat experience for treatment after treatment. "They all did a really good job. I can't say enough good things about them."
After each treatment, LaRue and his wife would have a meal in Wichita and then drive back to Chanute. He was tired in the evening after a treatment, he said, but was always in the office the next morning to work a full day.
"It was a good experience for me."
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