Ron Nelson was born and raised in Michigan, graduated from the University of Michigan, moved to South Carolina soon afterward, lived in Charleston for almost twenty years, and later moved to the rural midlands near Columbia. He enjoys peace, quiet, solitude, birds, autumn, building fires, walks in the woods with his dog Baxter, high octane fresh ground drip coffee, southern mustard-based barbecue (Maurice’s), Netflix, his Kindle, professional tennis, good conversation, and many styles of music – especially finger-picking solo acoustic guitar. From May 2002 until he retired in May 2015, Ron was the I.T. Training Coordinator for the Information Technology Department of Richland County Government, teaching employees to effectively use their computers.

He is the helplessly happy husband of Lucy, the proud father of four fantastic daughters (Julie, Jessica, Emily, and Caroline), the grandfather of eight (Ellen, Finn, Max, Henry, Joey, Anneliese, Ben, and Dorsey) so far, and the lucky son of his marvelous mother Hecky, whom he loves, admires, and appreciates every day.

Ron was diagnosed with early stage (PSA=5.8, Gleason=3+3, stage T2a) prostate cancer in October 2010 at age 60, was treated in early 2011 at the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, and wrote a nice little book to share his experience with anyone who might benefit from or enjoy the story.

Regarding his first book, PROTONS versus Prostate Cancer: EXPOSED, and his new 2023 sequel, 10 Years After Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer, Nelson explains: “I have been contacted by many men diagnosed with prostate cancer and considering proton beam therapy, and I have spoken with them at length. They have much the same questions I did, and it boils to down to wanting to know exactly what will happen after the decision is made to undergo this therapy. But there never seems to be enough time in a phone call or email exchange to adequately address all of the questions we have at that stage. These books have given me a chance to share a complete, detailed description of this experience without constraints. And especially with my new book, I have finally provided thorough answers to the questions I have most often been asked during my first post-proton decade.”

Nelson adds: “Many of my readers are proton therapy alumni like me, who remember that phase of our lives fondly, and enjoy reliving it. For most of us, this is a perfect example of making lemonade from lemons. We begin with a bit of bad news, and finish with new friends-for-life, fond memories, and a renewed lease on life. Ironic, and truly amazing.”