Breast and Prostate Cancer
Proton Alumni Spotlight: Inventasch
UF Health Proton Therapy Institute Patients Sail Through Life Together
For Joy and Harvey Inventasch, cancer care has become part of their long journey together. Both patients of Nancy P. Mendenhall, M.D., FACR, FASTRO, medical director of the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, describe her not only as their doctor, but also as a trusted friend.
“She’s compassionate, understanding and knowledgeable. She cares about people,” Joy said.
Joy was first introduced to Mendenhall in 1993, after a breast cancer diagnosis and a recommendation from a family friend who described her as the “crème de la crème” of physicians. She has been under Mendenhall’s care ever since.
In 2006, Harvey turned to Mendenhall and the Institute when he needed treatment for prostate cancer.
The couple credits the Institute’s team approach for making the experience smooth — even as they traveled three hours each way for their appointments.
“They made sure that we didn’t have to wait around a lot longer — like making appointments together, having me get a mammogram so she could read it, and making sure Harvey got his prostate-specific antigen blood test so she had the results right away,” Joy said.
“Everything went smoothly,” Harvey added.
As a young family, the couple and their two children spent much of their time on the water. Harvey learned to sail as a teenager, and together their family navigated several trips from New York to Florida. So, when Harvey began his nine-week treatment in Jacksonville, it felt natural for them to live aboard their sailboat, Quark, turning the marina into their temporary home.
For Joy, the reason she continues her care at the Institute is simple: “I feel confident in the doctors, and that’s something that’s very important to me.” Harvey put it more plainly: “Oh, I’m still alive.”
When asked what message they’d like to share with the team at the Institute, Joy smiled.
“Just continue to be yourselves,” she said.
While cancer care has been a chapter in their later years, Joy and Harvey’s story spans decades. In June, they celebrated 67 years of marriage — a partnership built on resilience, mutual respect and a healthy dose of humor.
The couple met on a blind date in their late teens. Harvey’s friend had asked Joy’s friend on a date to the college dance. She wasn’t sure and asked Joy to accompany her. That chance meeting sparked the relationship they now describe as rooted in compromise.
Both lifelong educators, Joy taught elementary school while Harvey taught junior high before earning his doctorate in education and joining the faculty at the State University of New York at Cortland.
Joy’s cancer diagnosis at the age of 50 changed the course of their future. “I wasn’t planning to retire, but I was concerned about my future. So, we talked it over and decided that we would retire when I could get my pension,” she said.
In retirement, they moved to Brevard County on the central Florida coast; a location they had enjoyed during years of family vacations and a great place to continue their love of sailing. That move ultimately connected them with Mendenhall and the Institute team — whom they credit for their health and continued adventures together.
Today, the couple remains active in their community and regularly enjoys spending time on the water. Whether it’s sharing stories of life aboard Quark or celebrating more than six decades of marriage, Joy and Harvey continue to navigate life as they always have — together, with gratitude and an eye on the horizon.