5 Men Who Didn’t Let Prostate Cancer Stop Them — They Deepened Connections And Kept Doing What They Love

Anthony Kalaj, a stage 4 prostate cancer survivor whose father also battled the disease, has spent his life chasing freedom on motorcycles, and neither diagnosis stopped him from riding.

“Cancer picked the wrong guy,” his wife, Tracey, tells SurvivorNet.

For Kalaj, riding still means everything: suiting up, starting the engine, and hitting the road for family, friends, and a mission bigger than himself. He takes part in an annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride to help raise awareness and hope for others facing the same fight.

RELATED: What It Means To Be A ‘Distinguished Gentleman’ & Anthony Kalaj’s Commitment To Raising Prostate Cancer Awareness

“You know, now I look at myself in the mirror, I’m like … I look good, I don’t look like I have cancer, I feel great, I look good, I feel strong,” he says in SurvivorNet’s new film, “Keep Rolling.”

“This is the wife that put up with all my chaos, all my anger, sadness, and put up with me the whole time that I’ve been through this journey,” explains Kalaj, praising his wife.

“Supported me, sat there quietly without barking at me even though she had the right to. She’s been amazing.”

As for how great it feels for him to ride, Kalaj says, “You get on a bike and it becomes that moment where you are free. You don’t have to think about cancer. You don’t have to think about work. You’re just on the road and you are riding.

“It was a fantastic feeling to know that I can throw my leg over the bike and I can ride again. I can have that freedom again to go, and I can tell the wife, ‘Hey, come on. Let’s go. Let’s go get an ice cream. Let’s go down to the beach. Let’s go ride the coast. Let’s go grab a slice of pie.'”

Kalaj adds, “There’s all these things that we can do again, that we used to do before. And what’s important is to live, you have to have life.”

‘Marathon Man’ Randy Kam

In SurvivorNet’s original documentary film, “Marathon Man: The Dr. Randall Kam Story,” Dr. Kam, a devoted dentist who keeps running marathons despite being diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer, is an inspiration, and a prime example of why staying active matters.

“Nothing’s going to stop me!” he tells SurvivorNet, adding, “Life is a marathon. But every morning that I wake up and am able to get out of bed and continue my life is a wonderful, blessed day.”

Kam, a California dentist known for singing classic rock lyrics with patients and cracking jokes mid-appointment, has completed more than 125 marathons in his lifetime and he’s determined not to stop.

Kam says running is what has kept him grounded through his cancer journey.

“Despite everything, I kept up what I wanted to do, which was get out and do miles,” he says. “That was my happy place.”

Propel Climber & Pilot Joel Graybeal

Joel Graybeal, from North Carolina, has embraced his love for climbing and flying planes to empower him thoughout his advanced prostate cancer journey, alongside his loving wife Caroline.

In “Escape Velocity: The Joel Graybeal Story” he tells SurvivorNet, “I used to say every day counts. Now I say every minute counts.”

“Being in an airplane and seeing after the horizon is a good example of how I aspire to live my life because I do think a lot about the long term. I think about what I’m doing today that’s going to help me get to where I want to be,” he says.

“You figure out how to set a course. You lock in, you fly that course, and you get to the eventual destination,” Graybeal adds.

Graybeal, who went through chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and immunotherapy before ultimately receiving clear scans, shared how his wife, Caroline Graybeal, surprised him with a special experience after he finished chemotherapy in 2022 — an opportunity to fly a single-seat North American Aviation P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft.

Mississippi Dad Roosevelt Greenwood

In “The Greenwoods,” Mississippi father of five Roosevelt Greenwood, who was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer at age 47, is enjoying life 10 years after his diagnosis with his family, faith, and love for playing music.

“I received the miracle of life and I’m still able to be here with my wife and my youngest son,” he says.

Greenwood, now 57, recounts his son Jacob’s graduation from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis as a family milestone he’s tremendously proud of, and grateful to have attended.

Referencing a family photo at Jacob’s commissioning ceremony, Greenwood says, “To get to this moment, it was a lot of praying and a lot of talking and encouraging.”

Arizona Firefighter Gary Schobel

As for Arizona firefighter Gary Schobel, a life-altering metastatic prostate cancer diagnosis may have challenged both his health and the intimacy in his 34-year marriage with wife Christine, but he chose to fight.

Like so many other couples facing a serious diagnosis, Christine recounted that a distance developed.

“I didn’t realize I was doing that. Nobody told me about that,” Schobel says. “We were following the rules and I started this drift. Nobody told us about it. We had to realize we were heading in that direction and we had to make a change.”

In “A Firefighter’s Biggest Fight,” Schobel advises others hearing his story, “Don’t lose sight of your relationship with your spouse through this. The doctors are not going to tell you that. They’re not asking you how you’re doing in your relationship.”

He adds, “Don’t let that drift. Be intentional. Be ready to work. We’re better because we really recognize that we owned it.”

(Content independently created by SurvivorNet with support from Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp.)

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