Alan Harry gets choked up whenever he talks about Dr. Daniel Fried. 

That’s understandable. Harry says Dr. Fried, a radiation oncologist with Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, saved his life. 

Dr. Fried treated Harry’s prostate cancer using the CyberKnife M6 at Gibbs Cancer Center at Pelham. The Greer location was the first in the Upstate to offer a non-invasive alternative to surgery for treatment of cancerous and non-cancerous tumors. 

“Dr. Fried is one of the ‘A’ students,” Harry said. “Anybody living in this area and facing cancer, go see Dr. Fried.” 

Harry, 69, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and prostate cancer in August 2021. He went to an urgent care to be treated for COVID-19, and the doctor discovered a swollen lymph node. 

“At that time, I was like a ’57 Chevy that had never had an oil change,” Harry said. 

He underwent chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma and then doctors turned their attention to prostate cancer. They gave him two options - remove the prostate, which he was concerned would leave him incontinent, or a very long regimen of radiation therapy. 

Then, his son told him about option three. 

“We were sitting at home one evening thinking it through,” Harry said. “My oldest son, Jeremiah, works for the company that makes the CyberKnife. He said it’s designed for this type of surgery, and they had one at Gibbs.” 

His first appointment with Dr. Fried was a two-hour meeting. Dr. Fried told him he had a team of 14 people who meet once a week, and they would determine the best course of action. They decided the CyberKnife was the best way to go. 

The CyberKnife system delivers powerful, targeted radiation to tumors while minimizing damage to healthy surrounding tissue. Harry had five treatments. 

“It wasn’t intrusive at all,” Harry said. “It wasn’t painful. I didn’t get sick or lose my hair, but it did its job.” 

Nearly three years in, Harry remains cancer free. He had his hip replaced in 2023 and is now more active than ever. 

“I wasn’t very active before my diagnosis, and I was overweight,” he said. “Now I walk the dogs with my neighbor every morning, and I’m in the gym four or five days a week. I don’t feel like I act like a guy who will soon be 70.” 

Harry has some simple advice for people to safeguard their health: Don’t be a ’57 Chevy. 

Early detection saves lives. Join Gibbs Cancer Center for a free prostate cancer screening. Visit Go.SRHS.com/events to see if you qualify.