Patient Stories

The Men's Clinic at UCLA is committed to providing the highest quality of patient care.

We consider patients a part of our extended family, and take great pride in being able to share a few of our patients' stories with you.

How I Rebuilt My Family After A Devastating Spinal Cord Injury

Article authored by Anthony Purcell on his recovery from a spinal cord injury, and the treatment he received with Dr. Jesse Mills, director of the Men's Clinic at UCLA.

Anthony's story

Paralysis doesn’t keep UCLA Health patient from receiving the best-possible Father’s Day gift

Anthony was in Miami in 2010 to attend Super Bowl XLIV with his cousin, but he never made it to the game.  An accident at the beach the day before the big event sent him to the hospital with a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down. The years that followed were difficult, filled with obstacles — both physical and emotional — that had to be overcome. But Anthony persevered, and when Father’s Day arrives this Sunday, he and his wife, Karen, have something particularly joyous to celebrate. With the help of UCLA Health urologist Jesse Mills, MD, director of The Men’s Clinic at UCLA, they were able to conceive a child, and their daughter, Payton, was born in March.

Anthony’s story 

The Three Vascateers

Some Men Are Shy About Their Health, But These Three Went to Get Vasectomies Together

While many men shy away from discussing their health concerns with one another, three longtime friends from Los Angeles decided to take a new approach to the very personal matter of birth control. With the encouragement of their wives, Paul Diaz, John Lambrechts and Basilio Santangelo recently did something unusual for guys: they decided to get vasectomies on the same day, from the same doctor, one after another. “We all have two kids around the same age; we all decided we were perfectly happy with the size of our families, so we made a pact to get them done,” said Diaz, who has known Lambrechts and Santangelo for years.
Read the full story

Healthy and Cancer Free for 30 years

Dr. Jesse Mills with Testicular Implant Patient, Andrew

30 years ago this month, I had a testicular cancer and it took a part of me and almost my life with a recurrence to my lymph nodes and spine a year later. I had chemo and radiation following. I spent several years dealing with my self-worth and self-value and feeling "incomplete". The emotional scars were deep and always worrying if my cancer was going to come back. Nobody ever told me about having a prosthesis implanted before until I heard Dr. Mills at a speaking engagement in October celebrating Men's Health Month. I made an appointment with him a few weeks ago to discuss the procedure, my questions and if I was a candidate. Yesterday urologist Dr. Jesse Mills at SM UCLA gave me back what was robbed of me, a testicular prosthesis implant.

Andrew's Story 

The Journey to Fatherhood

Father’s Day: The journey to fatherhood starts with a health check.

Joel Mecklenburg and his wife, Stacey, wanted very much to have a child. They tried. And tried. For 3 ½ years. Finally, they decided it was time to see their doctors. “I was a big, healthy guy. I was thinking there’s no way it was my issue,” said Mecklenburg, now 38. “But I went to get tested anyway.” Then his doctor called with bad news. All Mecklenburg’s sperm were dead.

Joel's Story