Rudy Giuliani: How He Triumphed Over Cancer

Editor's Note: The following article first appeared in the Spring 2006 issue of Caring4Cancer magazine.

The country came to know former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as he led his city and the country through the dark days of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Giuliani came to symbolize, for many Americans, the steadfast strength and patriotism and unfailing humanity that carried us through that time.

Recently, Giuliani took time to sit down with Caring4Cancer's Dr. Stan Winokur to discuss a more personal aspect of his life.

In 2001, Giuliani underwent a routine physical examination and was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In the days and months that followed, Giuliani went through many of the experiences that are common for cancer patients in their journey with cancer--the anxiety of diagnosis, the search for information and treatment options, the need for emotional support, the management of work obligations, and going through and recovering from treatment.

Now, 5 years past his initial diagnosis, Giuliani is happy to share his story because he hopes that it will inspire others through their own experience with cancer. Here are a few excerpts from his talk with Dr. Winokur.

Dr. Winokur: Well, first of all I'll tell you, you look fantastic.

Giuliani: Thank you.

Dr. Winokur: And how do you feel?

Giuliani: I feel terrific. I'm in very good health right now. I get tested for prostate cancer every 6 months. And my PSA is virtually zero, so I'm a very fortunate man.

Dr. Winokur: Life is good.

Giuliani: Life is very good. I'm a very fortunate man.

Dr. Winokur: Take us back to when you were diagnosed. What was it like when you got hit with the knowledge that you had cancer? How did it feel?

Giuliani: I was in my office. I was mayor of New York then. I had gone for a physical, tests were taken, and the doctor called me and he said, "The tests came back and they were positive."

I said, "Thank you," and I went to hang up the phone. And then I realized that there was something in his voice. I said, "Alex, positive is like negative, right?" And he said, "You've got cancer. And it's at an early stage. There are a lot of things that can be done. We've got to get together and talk about it." And so we did. He talked me through it.

I was upset for 2 or 3 days. It was a shock. My father died of prostate cancer. [But] I came to the realization that I was a very lucky man. The time that I was really in danger was the day before I knew I had prostate cancer. Now, that I knew what was going on in my body, I could do something about it.

So, I got to the point where I forced myself to have an optimistic attitude about it, which I think is really, really important-a constructive attitude about it. It was almost like a research assignment. What could be done about this? What are the options? And in the case of prostate cancer at an early stage, the good news is that there are a lot of options, and the bad news is that there are a lot of options. So it's confusing.

Dr. Winokur: Right. So, how do you finally make the decision? What were the resources that you used to help you decide on your treatment?

Giuliani: Well, I had one principal doctor, Alex Kirschenbaum, a urologist. And he was the first one I went to. But then-and this I don't recommend--I went to too many doctors. I went to a dozen or more doctors because I had so many recommendations from friends, and it got to a point where it started confusing me. There were just too many opinions. 

My wife, Judith, and I ended up back with Dr. Kirschenbaum, and we sat down with him and we told him what we had been through. He said, "I'll tell you what. We'll do a chart. We'll sit down and we'll make a list of the doctors. You tell me the doctor and I'll tell you what they recommended." And we did, and we talked our way through it. With his help I made a decision for radiation and seeds, external radiation, and hormone therapy to shrink the size of the prostate.

But my recommendation to people who ask me about how to do this is that you should have a principal doctor, and then you should go see two or three--listen to the different options--and then make a choice and gather as much information as you can.

Dr. Winokur: Did you use the Internet or other sources?

Giuliani: I did, and Judith, who is even better at (medical research) than I am--I mean she's a nurse and had a lot of scientific and medical training--she put together a whole program for me. For me, it was very helpful because, given the background that I had as a lawyer and as a mayor, I tend to want a lot of information about a decision that I'm going to make. So, this gave me a great deal of confidence that at least I was getting as much information as was out there.

Dr. Winokur: You told us how your friends and family reacted to you. What was your reaction to them when they would come up to you?

Giuliani: My reaction to them was to be supportive, to not make them feel too sorry for me.

Dr. Winokur: Really? That's interesting.

Giuliani: But that's my personality. You know? Maybe (the reaction's different) when you get to someone who's very intimate, like my wife, Judith.

I was also very fortunate in having someone who's a medical expert. So, the things that I was worried or concerned about, I didn't feel uncomfortable about having her there. And the other thing that helped me a lot-and it can help a lot of people--is that she would come with me to the doctor and she would always come with a list. She (had done the same thing) with her parents. She makes a list of what you need to tell the doctor and what you need to know from the doctor. Her point is that then you get the advantage of the amount of time that you have with the doctor. The doctor gets the maximum amount of information. So now I've gotten used to doing that, and that helped a lot.

Dr. Winokur: You mentioned before something about being alone. You commented on your own feelings. Tell me what you meant.

Giuliani: I remember a couple days after I'd been diagnosed with prostate cancer-- which, given the fact that I was mayor at the time and that I was involved in a Senate race, (the diagnosis) had (received) a tremendous amount of attention. I started thinking about what must this be like if you have to go through this alone, if you don't have good friends, you know, somebody who loves you, and if you don't have all these people who can help you.

And you know (if you're in that situation), you've got to get yourself into a support group. You've got to find a way to get yourself (into) the support group, whether you get on the Internet, use a doctor--find a cancer support group. All the different forms of cancer now have support groups. You will find that people who have had cancer are almost always willing to help other people who have cancer. We almost feel that it's something that you have to give back.

I certainly feel that way. I will get calls from all over the country. I'll get on the phone and call them back. They'll be very surprised that I called them back, and I say, "Well, this is my way of paying back all the people who helped me." But there are groups (that offer support) like that.

Dr. Winokur: So, in closing, what would you say is the most important thing that a patient can do to help themselves if they're faced with cancer?

Giuliani: The most important thing patients can do to help themselves if they're faced with cancer is cooperate with their doctor to make their doctor's job easier. Organize the information the doctor needs. Make sure you get the treatment you need, do your own analysis, get on the Internet, look in books, and try to find people who will give you advice. The more information that you have, the better reporter you're going to be to your doctor of your symptoms, and the more accurate your doctor is going to be about being able to diagnose you correctly.

Dr. Winokur: So it's all about communication.

Giuliani: Absolutely. And if that's not something you're particularly good at, (it's about) getting help, getting people to help you do that.