Patient experiences
How ASPI Helps
Real experiences from people finding information, support, and confidence while navigating Active Surveillance.
Why patient voices matter
What people say they take away from ASPI
The most meaningful feedback we receive is often about what happens after a meeting or resource: feeling more comfortable with Active Surveillance, knowing what to ask at the next appointment, or simply feeling less alone.
“I watched your webinar with Dr. Leapman yesterday and wanted to thank you for another fantastic and informative event. I have been on AS for 2 years, and with all the great information I have gotten through ASPI I have been able to feel comfortable with AS with very little anxiety. This webinar was especially reassuring as I have had two MRI’s and a second biopsy all of which showed little or nothing to be concerned about. Thank you for sharing all this great information and sharing all of your experiences!”
— ASPI community member
“It was one of the best presentations I have seen recently and was very informative. I now feel more educated for an upcoming appointment with my urologist.”
— ASPI meeting attendee
“I’m very grateful for this group and the physicians and experts who present here – a truly valuable resource to manage life with this disease.”
— ASPI meeting attendee
Individual experiences vary, and these comments are not medical advice. Quotes are anonymized unless the contributor has given permission for attribution. Some comments are excerpted for length. Other than correcting obvious typos that affect meaning, wording and punctuation are kept as originally shared.
Confidence & reassurance
The ASPI webinar helped me feel comfortable with my choice of Active Surveillance as a course of action with prostate cancer.
— ASPI webinar attendee
very well hosted and managed. I just made a $ contribution from my donor advised fund. thank you for lowering my anxiety
— ASPI meeting attendee
The best of 3 presentations I have heard dealing with the emotional aspect of Active Surveillance. Well done. Thank you! Thank God you exist.
— ASPI meeting attendee
Hearing the experience of the physicians was informative and comforting.
— ASPI meeting attendee
Learning & making informed decisions
I am very much liking Adam’s explanation of the terms and actual program of Active Surveillance. I wish I had heard this seven years ago when I started Active Surveillance.
— ASPI meeting attendee
The greatest value ASPI provided me was not telling me what decision to make. It gave me the knowledge to participate in the decision.
ASPI gave me the information I needed to speak with my urologist, ask better questions, understand the alternatives, and make decisions based on knowledge rather than simply accepting a recommendation without understanding the choices available to me.
For me, that has been enormously empowering. When you are dealing with a cancer diagnosis, there is already enough anxiety and uncertainty. Having the knowledge to understand your options and participate meaningfully in decisions about your own care can make an enormous difference.
— ASPI community member
I found the knowledge I gained in the AS group to be incredibly valuable and changed my doctor and treatment because of what I learned.
— ASPI community member
I have been on AS for 10 years and the meeting today had lots of great information – TP biopsy, Genomic testing, Genetic testing, and so on. Thank you.
— ASPI meeting attendee
Great service to us who find our urologists unavailable or unwilling to find time to provide this kind of support and info.
— ASPI community member
Thank you for trying to bring clarity and rationality to this issue
— ASPI community member
Meetings & expert speakers
Keep up the good work. I will be donating to help support ASPI. This was an excellent, and I repeat EXCELLENT, online meeting.
— ASPI meeting attendee
Amazing Speakers. Your speakers exceed my expectations. I thought that this meeting rated an 11.
— ASPI meeting attendee
Perhaps the most insightful and useful session I have ever attended. Thanks to ASPI leadership and thanks to Dr. Emberton.
— ASPI meeting attendee
This was my first one. Color me impressed.
— First-time ASPI meeting attendee
This session had a tremendous calibre of presenters. Congratulations on assembling such a knowledgeable group.
— ASPI meeting attendee
Many thanks for all y’all’s time & effort to put this & other webinars out here for us. I find these extremely valuable/helpful. Keep ’em coming.
— ASPI webinar attendee
Community & ongoing support
I like the addition at the end where we get a chance to interact with each other. Also, you do a fantastic job allowing us to get our questions answered!
— ASPI meeting attendee
The info you gave helps me out a lot. The website has given me great info also…I have been searching for info and a community like ASPI.
— ASPI community member
Appreciate the programs and quality of speakers that are offered. … I’m glad that you exist for AS.
— ASPI community member
You do a great service and do it well. I really appreciate being able to join your meetings and hope you continue to supply us with needed information. Keep up the invaluable work!
— ASPI community member
Thank you. You guys are truly a light in the darkness.
— ASPI community member
The Pathway
What patients, physicians, reviewers, and support group leaders have said about ASPI’s plain-language guide to Active Surveillance.
Looks fantastic. I wish my doctor had something like that for me when I got my diagnosis 4 years ago. That should be standard of care for all doctors.
— ASPI reader
“The Pathway” digital book from Active Surveillance Patients International (ASPI) is an essential guidebook for every prostate patient who is told he has or may have prostate cancer. As a medical science research writer and prostate patient who has spent 6 years studying prostate cancer articles and publications nothing compares to the superb summary provided by ASPI’s “The Pathway” for clarity and ease of understanding.
— David King Keller, MBA, PhD · Medical Science Researcher / Writer
A comprehensive, easy-to-understand and easy-to-follow guideline for the newly diagnosed patient with low-risk prostate cancer searching for accurate information about Active Surveillance.
— Paul Schellhammer
More than I have ever seen consolidated in one place.
— Prostate cancer support group leader
An outstanding resource for men considering Active Surveillance.
— Prostate cancer support group facilitator
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Help make this support possible
ASPI’s meetings, educational resources, and patient support are made possible by people who believe patients deserve clear information and a community they can turn to.
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