Jimmie's Story

Jimmie Luvert, 72, was at once embarrassed and alarmed by his symptoms. In early 2019, the father of two had difficulty passing urine. What is more, his urine stream was weak and sometimes before he got to the toilet, he would leak urine.

The business owner, who lives in Freeport, sought the advice of his primary care doctor who recommended he see Daniel McCally, MD, a Mount Sinai South Nassau urologist. Dr. McCally ran a prostate specific antigen test that measures blood levels of PSA made by the prostate. Mr. Luvert’s PSA results were elevated, which can indicate the presence of prostate cancer.

Dr. McCally referred Mr. Luvert to Michael Herman, MD, Director of Urology, at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside. After undergoing an ultrasound and MRI of the prostate, Mr. Luvert learned he had cancer.

“When you hear the word ‘cancer,’ you are walking around like a zombie,” said the Freeport resident who credits his girlfriend, Dahlia, with supporting him through his cancer journey. “My mother died of spinal cancer...I wasn’t sure why I got cancer. I exercise, I eat well, and I don’t smoke or drink.”

Dr. Herman assured him that the cancer was caught early and offered him treatment options: surgery to remove the prostate or radiation therapy.

“I didn’t want surgery,” said Mr. Luvert, who chose radiation therapy under the leadership of Leester Wu, MD, Director of Radiation Oncology. “They did everything for me, from A to Z.”

He completed 45 days of radiation therapy in September of 2020 and to the applause of his medical team, he rang “the bell,” a tradition among cancer patients to mark the end of treatment.

“They [Dr. Wu and Dr. Herman] gave me the tools to fight my cancer,” said Mr. Luvert, who is now cancer-free. “They are at the top of their field. They were life changing for me and a Godsend.”