Retired Physician Receives Lifesaving Care at Hospital He Once Called Home

When Bill Bracciodieta, MD, learned that his symptoms were likely caused by advanced-stage prostate cancer, he struggled to find hope in the path that lay before him. “I immediately thought, ‘we’re going straight to hospice here.’ Aside from receiving some temporary pain relief, I didn’t see how anyone was going to be able to fix this,” he said.

In late summer of 2024, the retired Hoag neurologist began experiencing pain in his lower back and legs. The pain intensified over time, making it difficult to walk. He also battled extreme fatigue and rapid weight loss. 

“I ended up in Hoag’s emergency room, where the staff did a full workup. They could not have been more thorough. In about 8 hours, we had a probable diagnosis.” 

As Orange County’s largest prostate cancer center and a leader in robotic surgeries, Hoag is currently running multiple clinical trials and offering numerous advancements in treatment and personalized care. Bill’s primary care provider, Hoag physician Son T. Nguyen, MD, worked quickly to arrange an appointment with Hoag genitourinary medical oncologist David J. Benjamin, MD. 

A series of additional tests and scans led to an official diagnosis—metastatic prostate cancer, which had spread to his pelvis and spine. 

“Dr. Benjamin said, ‘look, you’ve got stage 4 prostate cancer, but this is not a death sentence. We have excellent medications nowadays that may not cure it but can turn it into more of a chronic disease that can be managed.’ That struck me like a thunderbolt,” said Bill, “that we had a shot at this.”

Dr. Benjamin proposed an advanced hormone treatment therapy that would slow—and potentially halt—the progression of the disease, minimizing the painful symptoms that had brought Bill’s life to a standstill.

“Dr. Benjamin presented all of this in such a way that was so supportive and so caring that it just shifted my whole perspective 180 degrees, from having no hope to having so much hope,” he said. 

Within just four days of beginning treatment, Bill’s pain had nearly disappeared. Today, less than one year following his diagnosis, he is comfortably walking again and has resumed his golf game. Recent scans have shown his disease is stable and inactive.

“We know that regular screenings and early detection remain the gold standard in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer,” said Dr. Benjamin. “But patients like Bill, who are experiencing the disease in its later stages, are having remarkable responses to the advanced treatment protocols we now offer.” 

After retiring from his neurology practice at Hoag in 1990, Bill continued to receive care from the organization he served. This experience, he said, is a testament to why.

“The physicians I have had the privilege of meeting over the years, like Dr. Benjamin, are incredibly special. Not only are they experts in their fields, but they are also deeply caring. They continue to exceed my expectations, and they gave me back my life.”