Elevated PSA (prostate specific antigen levels) lead to Henry undergoing a biopsy, which revealed stage IV prostate cancer. He was officially diagnosed on August 13, 2021. He went to the doctor after getting a hemorrhoid while offshore fishing. His primary care doctor was the one who suggested also checking his PSA levels as a routine matter of care. A month after diagnosis, Henry underwent surgery to
remove his prostate, seminal vesicles, and 27 pelvic lymph nodes, 8 of which were metastatic. After the surgery, surgical margins were deemed positive, meaning cancer cells were still present on the edges of the tissue. In response, Henry started systemic drug therapy in November and later, 40 sessions of radiation from January through March 2022. He is still in treatment and continuing the systemic drug therapy. Henry points out that he feels like more than a number at Dana-Farber because of the continued care and compassion that he receives: ranging from the nurses to radiation therapy technicians.

Traveling in from Alabama, he also notes that Boston is not only “awesome,” but the “best city.” Some of his favorite local restaurants are Tasty Burger, Select Oyster Bar, Little Whale, and Toro. In his free time, he also loves watching the Red Sox, hiking, walking, and reading. He’s joined and supported by his wife Staci, whom he’s been married to for 21 years. Together they have an 11-year-old daughter. He works as a prosecutor in Alabama.

Dr. Pomerantz is a senior medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Clinical Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology. Dr. Pomerantz's research focuses on the inherited risk factors associated with cancer, with an emphasis on prostate cancer. He is working together with clinicians, biostatisticians, and epidemiologists at Dana-Farber and the Broad Institute in an attempt to actively decipher and define the genetic underpinnings of the disease.