Donald Lonsway
Driven by a mission to heal
Donald Lonsway
On a warm summer day in August 1967, Donald Lonsway received a letter from President Lyndon Johnson that would change his life forever. A dedicated and enthusiastic school teacher, he was obligated to travel more than 12,000 miles away from his admiring students to face the carnage of war in Vietnam.
Today, he travels to Dana-Farber for radiation treatment, five days a week, to face his latest obstacle: prostate cancer, while returning home to Maine on the weekends. But unlike his military service in Vietnam, Lonsway makes these weekly trips willingly. "I knew I needed to go to Boston. I needed to find a good hospital that would offer a health plan matching my goals," he says. That hospital is Dana-Farber, where he credits Anthony D'Amico, MD, and his team for providing him the proper care from day one. "Dr. D'Amico shares my optimism regarding my treatment," he says. "He is a unique human being unlike any doctor I've ever met."
Lonsway, now 65, knows the value of first-rate health care, after enduring 34 years of undiagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), resulting from his exposure to the horrific violence of the Vietnam War. But just as Lonsway survived his 366 days in Vietnam, he managed to conquer his PTSD as well. It is no surprise then that Lonsway holds such an optimistic view about beating his recent illness. "The cancer is just a pain in the neck," Lonsway says. "I'm looking forward to moving on with my life."
Dealing with trauma
Lonsway hasn't always been able to look forward; in fact, he spent many years grappling with the past. After he returned from the war, he was unable to sustain his old relationships or form new ones, and had trouble adjusting to society. Vivid memories of children burning from napalm haunted his thoughts and dreams. "I had nightmares and flashbacks from Vietnam constantly," he recalls. "I had lost all hope for the future." But the most troubling aspect for Lonsway was that no one, not even himself, could pinpoint his trauma. "I just thought I was crazy," he says.
Lonsway's suffering from PTSD — a severe psychological reaction to a deeply stressful event — was largely misunderstood. As a result, he would endure nearly four decades of this serious illness without a diagnosis.
Taking his life back
Lonsway was finally diagnosed with PTSD in March 2003. "It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of me. I was finally able to understand what I had been going through," he says. The diagnosis put Lonsway on a path to recovery, which would crescendo with an emotional revisit to Vietnam last year. This trip would allow Lonsway to put the past behind and to heal from his trauma.
A lifelong educator, Lonsway is now driven by a mission to inform people about PTSD and share his life story publicly. Prostate cancer does not fit in his plans.
"He is so courageous and optimistic about his future," says Dana-Farber Resource Specialist Katherine Centrella, who has assisted Lonsway with his stay in Boston. "He is far too driven to let the cancer stop him."
Lonsway's cancer diagnosis came quickly and unexpectedly. What seemed like a routine checkup at the doctor's office one Friday afternoon resulted in the threat of a major surgical procedure. At first, he was devastated. "I remember thinking, 'This can't be possible, I can't have cancer, I've just gotten my life back.'" But Lonsway refused to feel bitter about his condition. Instead, he called on the same courage that enabled him to return to Vietnam.
The next step
After his prostate cancer treatment ends, Lonsway plans to show gratitude to his enthusiastic student-supporters, who aided him during his post-Vietnam depression. "I spent 22 years in the South Portland High School system," Lonsway remarks. "The PTSD got worse, but the students really kept me going." Lonsway intends to talk to pupils at Portland and other schools about his experiences, and share his story with other war veterans and soldiers including those who have recently returned from Iraq.
"Mr. Lonsway is so dedicated to helping other people," Centrella says. "I wish I had him as a teacher!"
Lonsway's determination doesn't stop here; rather, his time spent at Dana-Farber has inspired him set a new goal: to speak to medical interns and practicing physicians about his experiences with PTSD. "I believe they could benefit from hearing about what I've seen," he says. "This is a story that everyone needs to hear."
— Jason Brander