Director Stephen Gyllenhaal reveals prostate…
Director Stephen Gyllenhaal might have discovered his next project — and it’s a subject very close to him.
Gyllenhaal — father to Oscar nominees Jake and Maggie and 10-year-old Luke — was with his youngest son at a swimming pool last yr when an uncommon feeling washed over him.
“My arms and legs suddenly felt as thick as elephants, and I could hardly move,” Gyllenhaal, 75, recalled to The Post. “I was really freaked out, but I kept on thinking it’s nothing, and then it got worse and worse.”
Director Stephen Gyllenhaal, pictured right here in 2012, was identified last yr with node-positive prostate cancer. WireImage
After three days of being unable to pee, Gyllenhaal was identified with prostate cancer that had unfold to a close by lymph node.
For years, he had taken a wait-and-see perspective to his enlarged prostate and elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA), two potential indicators of the lethal cancer.
With September being Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Gyllenhaal is publicly sharing his diagnosis for the first time while advocating for a proactive method to testing and disease management.
“Just stay on top of it because almost all the time, you’re relieved,” Gyllenhaal said about testing.
“You say, ‘I’ve got another two years before I have to do anything again,’ and it really matters to do that,” he added. “[If] something comes up two years later, you’ve caught it early, and you deal with it, and you don’t die.”
Gyllenhaal underwent practically eight weeks of treatment at the New York Proton Center. Stephen Gyllenhaal
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among US males, apart from pores and skin cancer.
Nearly 314,000 new circumstances of prostate cancer and over 35,000 deaths can be recorded this yr, making it the second main trigger of cancer death in males, behind lung cancer, according to new American Cancer Society estimates.
Gyllenhaal’s street to cancer goes back a methods. His doctor flagged him about his enlarged prostate many years in the past and his elevated PSA in 2020.
PSA is a protein produced by healthy and cancerous prostate cells. A high PSA blood check consequence can signal prostate cancer, but it’s not a definitive diagnosis.
Gyllenhaal — who directed 2023’s “UnCharitable” documentary — said he bought distracted by the pandemic, and it “didn’t quite register” that his condition may very well be severe even as he obtained a Gleason rating of 5 in 2022.
The Gleason grading system ranges from 2 to 10, with a greater rating indicating a more aggressive cancer.
Gyllenhaal, fifth from left, is shown right here with his care workforce at the New York Proton Center. Many sufferers ring a bell to signify that their treatment is full. New York Proton Center
Shortly after the pool incident in October 2024, he had a Gleason rating of 9.
His PSA was 42 — a PSA above 4 is taken into account irregular.
“That’s what got me to suddenly do everything quickly,” Gyllenhaal said, noting his incapacity to urinate stemmed from a bladder infection. “My prostate was out of control.”
After consulting with pals and docs, he ended up connecting with Dr. Arpit Chhabra, a radiation oncologist and director of schooling at the New York Proton Center in East Harlem.
There are a few methods to handle prostate cancer, including eradicating your entire prostate gland, utilizing high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells or freezing the cells away with focal therapy.
Gyllenhaal, pictured with Jake in 2002, said his older son is “so on top of” his disease. Getty Images
Proton therapy makes use of a beam of charged particles to ship a focused, high dose of radiation to a tumor, sparing healthy tissue.
Conventional radiation therapy has traditionally been less exact.
“Proton therapy allowed us to deliver this curative treatment with the greatest precision and safety, minimizing side effects to surrounding organs,” Chhabra told The Post.
Gyllenhaal, a Hollywood Hills resident, briefly relocated to Maggie’s place in Brooklyn for the practically eight weeks of treatment. He discovered pleasure in the dawn in his daily commute to the power.
There had been no notable uncomfortable side effects from radiation, though he has skilled downsides to taking the hormone medicines Orgovyx — which reduces testosterone manufacturing — and Nubeqa, which blocks testosterone from fueling cancer cells.
Stephen stayed with daughter Maggie in Brooklyn while present process treatment. The household is photographed right here in 2003. Getty Images
“There’s no question about it, that’s been the hardest thing,” Gyllenhaal said about his decrease testosterone, which has led him to lose weight and muscle mass. He also struggles with his short-term reminiscence.
Nevertheless, he’s optimistic about his prognosis.
“I don’t understand the proton stuff, but it has definitely made my life kind of feel miraculous,” Gyllenhaal shared, “and has me hopeful about the future.”
There’s no historical past of prostate cancer in his well-known household, but his diagnosis means Jake, 44, and Luke are at elevated risk.
Maggie and Stephen Gyllenhaal are seen right here in 2017. Stephen said he appreciated the dawn when leaving her home each morning to go to treatment appointments. Getty Images for Moet & Chandon
Gyllenhaal said Jake is “so on top of this.”
“It was funny, he was worried that I wasn’t on top of it,” Gyllenhaal said.
“He had this top doctor, and his top doctor said, ‘Your dad’s got all the right people,’ ” he continued. “‘He’s doing the best thing he can do,’ which was really good.”
He said he’s also had frank talks with younger Luke and these discussions will continue as he will get older.
Men at greater risk of prostate cancer ought to typically start testing between 40 and 45, while those at average risk ought to look to start testing from 45 to 50.
Screening every two to 4 years is really useful for males 50 to 69 years outdated.
Stephen is pictured right here with ex-wife Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, their son Jake and his girlfriend, Jeanne Cadieu, in March 2024. Stephen was identified with prostate cancer months later. Getty Images
Though Gyllenhaal rang the bell at the Proton Center, denoting the end of his treatment, he gained’t say he’s cancer-free. He notes that he’s still doing hormone therapy as properly as taking medication for his coronary heart.
He has contemplated beginning a e-book project about his wellness journey — and his stance might shock some.
“This sounds glib, but it’s kind of the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Gyllenhaal said, stressing that many issues have careworn him out over the years, but cancer trumps them all.
“It kind of means you have to wake up and face life and not live in a fantasy,” he added. “I live in Hollywood, so ‘fantasy’ is my middle name, and it takes the stress out.”
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