Mastering Recovery: How One Incision Got a Golfer Back to Augusta

For Keith, a 51-year-old pharmacist from Odenton, Maryland, life was a well-walked course. An avid golfer, he understood the importance of a good long game—not just on the links, but in life. This was especially true when it came to his health. With a father, uncles, and cousins all having battled prostate cancer, Keith knew the genetic odds were not in his favor. He was diligent, never missing his regular PSA screenings.

For years, the results were a comforting par for the course. Despite grappling with low testosterone, potentially due to carrying some extra weight, his PSA levels remained reassuringly normal.
That is, until about a year ago.

A routine checkup delivered a score he wasn't expecting. His PSA had jumped from a stable 1.7 to a 3.9 over the last five years—a significant and concerning rise. Further testing confirmed the news: Keith had low-grade prostate cancer. While considered low-grade, it was high-volume, present in both lobes of his prostate.

He was presented with a handful of options. Surgery was on the table, but at 325 pounds, Keith’s size posed a risk for a traditional surgical approach. It was then that his doctors in Maryland suggested he look into a new, minimally invasive procedure known as single-port robotic surgery.

This advanced technique uses a single, small incision for a robotic arm to enter the patient, offering a less traumatic alternative to traditional methods. As a pharmacist, Keith took his research seriously. He found a doctor in Maryland who could perform the procedure, but after a consultation, he learned the doctor didn't perform it very often. This was a red flag.

"I'm a research guy," Keith explained. So, he dug deeper and found out who had trained his local doctor. That search led him to Dr. Mutahar Ahmed at Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Dr. Ahmed wasn't just experienced; he was a pioneer in the field, having performed hundreds of single-port procedures since the hospital first implemented the robotic technology. This advanced procedure, he says, is a game-changer for patients who are not ideal candidates for traditional surgery. It provides a critical surgical solution when conventional approaches are not possible. So for Keith, the choice was clear.

"This is the physician's physician," Keith said of his decision to make the drive to New Jersey. "Why go to the guy who was trained by him? Why not go directly to the trainer?"

His decision was immediately validated. He was deeply impressed by Dr. Ahmed and the entire team at Hackensack University Medical Center, which is ranked the #1 hospital in New Jersey with a nationally ranked, high-performing urology department by U.S. News & World Report.

Keith underwent a single-port radical prostatectomy. The procedure was performed quickly and without complication. His recovery was nothing short of astonishing. That very same evening, he was up and walking—circling the floor of the Helena Theurer Pavilion five to six times. He was so taken with the facility and the care that he compared the pavilion to a five-star hotel rather than a hospital.

The next day, Keith was doing so well he was able to drive himself home to Maryland.
Keith’s remarkable recovery isn't an anomaly; it's the result of a pioneering surgical approach that Hackensack University Medical Center has perfected. Key advantages to single-port surgery include the ability to access difficult-to-reach areas of the body with minimal trauma, a potential reduced risk of complications, shorter recovery time, and improved cosmetic results.

“Single-port surgery is allowing patients to go home the same day after a prostatectomy procedure — which means patients can avoid a hospital stay, recover at home, and sleep in their own bed,” said Mutahar Ahmed, M.D., director of the Urologic Bladder Cancer Program at Hackensack University Medical Center and professor of Urology with Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

The Department of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center has not only completed the largest number of FDA-approved single-port robotic surgical procedures in the northeastern United States, but it has also validated its data through numerous case-match control trials. Results consistently show a decrease in patients' length-of-stay and need for pain medication. The department’s leadership is further evidenced by numerous abstracts accepted at national conferences and papers published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals.

Less than a month after his surgery, Keith was back to his passion. He attended the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, an annual trip he was grateful not to miss. In a true testament to his recovery, he walked the entire, famously hilly course, following the players from hole to hole.
And exactly 5 weeks after surgery, Keith was swinging a club himself, back on the course.

This September, during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Keith's story is a powerful reminder. As many as 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. According to the CDC, that number is even higher for Black men, who are more than twice as likely to die from the disease.
Keith’s journey highlights the importance of diligence, research, and seeking out the best possible care. Thanks to his proactive approach and the expertise he found at Hackensack University Medical Center, he is on track for a hole-in-one recovery and a long, healthy life ahead.

For more on Hackensack University Medical Center’s prostate cancer screenings and treatments, click here.