With GreenLight Laser Therapy, Steve Malinsky Got His Life Back

Steve's Story

With high-performance cars and life in general, Steve Malinsky does not like to be sidelined.

“I refuse to get older than 16,” he jokes. Unfortunately, his body hasn’t always agreed.

Steve Malinsky

This year, at age 68, Steve encountered a problem that affects more than half of men over age 60, enlarged prostate. In Steve’s case, the condition blocked urine flow and caused repeated, increasingly painful, urinary tract infections.

“It would go away (with medication), then a couple of months later it would come back, with a vengeance,” he said. “It was very painful. It was worrisome and cramping my lifestyle, to say the least.”

Steve’s lifestyle includes travel, driving high-performance cars and restoring a 1956 Austin-Healey that’s up on blocks and nearing completion in his garage in Canterbury. Until he met Dr. Ronald Yap at Concord Hospital Urologic Institute, Steve and the car were going nowhere fast.

After counseling Steve regarding his options, Dr. Yap treated him with minimally invasive GreenLight™ Laser Therapy. This procedure uses a laser beam to restore urine flow by vaporizing prostate tissue and sealing the wound, decreasing the risk of bleeding and other complications. As with most patients, Steve went home the day of the procedure, and after a few weeks of adjustment, he was off the sideline and back to work restoring his car.

“I’m better than I ever was, as far back as I can remember. That’s how good it turned out.”

Steve and his wife, Phyllis, chose Dr. Yap after researching options for where he should go for treatment. “Dr. Yap’s name went right to the top,” Steve said. A friend and renowned urologist in New York City endorsed Dr. Yap, who has become nationally known for his expertise in laser prostate surgery.

Steve and Phyllis have an apartment in New York City, so they could easily have gone there for treatment, but they chose Concord Hospital because of Dr. Yap, because it was convenient, and because their research showed that Concord Hospital has fewer hospital-acquired infections than many big-city hospitals.

Men don’t typically talk about urinary infections and prostate problems, but Steve didn’t hesitate, partly to pay tribute to Dr. Yap and Concord Hospital, and partly to stress the importance of seeking help to avoid more serious problems.

“A lot of guys – macho guys, tough guys – probably would deal with UTI (urinary tract infection) until it was so bad that permanent damage was being done before they would think of going to a doctor,” he said. “Don’t even think about it. Get to a doctor and get it checked.” It’s a philosophy he has followed with his cars and his body.

“I’ve been in automobile clubs all my life,” he said. “They say if something is broken or doesn’t sound right, get it checked, get it fixed because if it breaks, it’s going to take out other parts and your bill will be 10 times higher.”

With his GreenLight fix, Steve said he got his life back. What does it mean to him? “See the smile on my face,” he said, with the widest of smiles “That’s what it means.”