Men facing a new diagnosis
If the words prostate cancer have left you overwhelmed, read how I faced the diagnosis, the proposed surgery, and the questions I refused to leave unanswered.
My story is here to be shared
Cancer cost me my business and changed my life. I wrote My Cancer Journey and Under the Hood to share what happened, the choices I made, and the questions I asked. I want these books accessible regardless of anyone’s ability to pay.
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Personal experience, not medical advice or a promise of the same outcome. My story includes conventional care as well as the nonconventional approaches I chose.
The questions I am asked most
When prostate cancer turned my life upside down, I wanted to know what I could do for myself. Under the Hood opens the toolbox and shares the choices I made, why I made them, and what I observed.
My approach has, so far, worked for me. I believe the combination of approaches I chose contributed to my outcome. I encourage readers to discuss their own decisions with their medical team.
Explore the booksAn independent perspective • Personal experience • Digital editions

For men facing prostate cancer — and the people standing beside them
A prostate cancer diagnosis. A recommendation to remove his prostate. And a man who refused to hand over the keys to his own future. Alan Richards tells what he questioned, the conventional and unconventional paths he explored, what went wrong, and what he learned the hard way.
Newly diagnosed? Questioning your options? Helping someone you love? This is the story from the other side of the examination table.
Digital edition • 36 pages • PDF + online flipbook access • Secure Payhip checkout
The story behind the book
When I was told I needed surgery, I wasn’t ready to accept that the first recommendation was the only road. I wanted to know my options, weigh the consequences, and make my own decisions.
My Cancer Journey tells that story without dressing it up: the diagnosis, the uncomfortable questions, my pursuit of nonconventional approaches, the doctors and tests I continued to rely on, and the setbacks I could not ignore.
I compare my body to a beat-up 1957 Chevy. A shiny exterior means little if the engine is failing. You need to look under the hood, understand the gauges, and stay responsible for what happens next.
This is not a promise that my choices will work for anyone else. It is what I experienced — and why I believe patients should never stop asking questions.
Want the whole story? Read the choices, turning points, and lessons in the full memoir.
Get My Cancer Journey freeWho this book is for
You don't need to agree with every decision I made. If you've ever wondered whether you're getting the whole story, this book gives you something rare: one man's candid account of questioning the recommendations, taking a different road, and living with the consequences.
If the words prostate cancer have left you overwhelmed, read how I faced the diagnosis, the proposed surgery, and the questions I refused to leave unanswered.
See which paths I questioned or declined, the nonconventional approaches I personally explored, and where the results and risks forced me to reconsider.
Understand what this experience can feel like from the patient's seat — the fears, stubbornness, hope, and decisions that loved ones must navigate together.
Not a formula. Not a guaranteed outcome. A real story that may change the questions you ask.
Read the full story freeAvailable now

What happened after I began making my own decisions about prostate cancer: why I chose some approaches and ruled out others, what I noticed along the way, and what I learned when things didn’t go as expected.
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What happened when I questioned a surgery recommendation, explored unconventional approaches, and learned that no decision relieves you of the responsibility to keep watching the gauges.
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Another Alan Richards story is being prepared for the library.
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Choose your free booksListen and explore
Choose a chapter with a recorded reading. Chapter 1 begins with the 1957 Chevy analogy, narrated in my own voice. As recordings for other chapters are completed, their excerpts will appear here. The full book remains available in the free digital edition.
Click the highlighted chapter to hear an available reading.
Chapters 2–10: reading excerpts to be added as recordings are completed.
Chapter 1 — recorded excerpt
Hear the actual narrated excerpts used for the chapter-reading video series.
How an old Chevy helped me understand what was happening inside my body.
This is a brief excerpt, not the complete chapter. The book tells the full story, including what happened next.
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The story behind these reactions
Read what I questioned, the roads I actually took, the risks and setbacks, and why I learned never to stop paying attention. If you're facing prostate cancer — or walking alongside someone who is — you'll recognize the questions.
PDF + online flipbook • Secure Payhip checkout
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Finished either book or only partway through? Both kinds of honest feedback are welcome. Tell other readers where you are in the story and what struck you. Your email is used only to confirm your submission and is never displayed publicly.
Ready to read Alan's story? The digital edition is available now.
Get the free eBook — freeUnder the Hood · My Cancer Journey · Six free stories · Listen to complete Chapter 1
My Cancer Journey is a personal memoir describing the author’s own experiences and decisions. It is not medical advice, does not diagnose or treat any condition, and is not a substitute for care from a qualified medical professional. Readers should discuss medical decisions with their own healthcare providers.
Questions?
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