Former Augusta Mayor Bob Young and his wife are back in the spotlight. This time the talk isn’t about politics, but the health scare they both faced recently.

Bob Young and his wife, Gwen Fulcher Young, say they are taking time to relax and enjoy life even more these days. Gwen is recuperating from a recent heart condition. Bob is recovering from prostate cancer surgery.

“I knew right away when I got the news it wasn't something I wanted to hear, but I knew it was something we could manage fairly quickly,” he said.

During a routine checkup in May a biopsy confirmed Bob Young had prostate cancer. After consulting with his doctor, he had robotic surgery two weeks ago at the Mayo Clinic.

“In my case because of my age at 60, it made sense to go ahead and take the prostate out because if cancer cells had been left behind it would have grown in 10 or 15 years and I'd be dealing with this again,” he said.

Just as Bob Young was managing his health crisis, his wife, Gwen faced her own. She had to undergo a medical procedure at MCGHealth to correct an irregular heartbeat.

“For about a three or four week period my heart was beating somewhere between 150 to 200 beats per minute. A good heart beat rate for me is about 70, so you can imagine,” she said.

Both say they are feeling much better and the experience has made them more aware of the importance of routine checkups. They now hope their ordeal will inspire others to do the same.

“I think I am enriched that I know more and that I can take what we've learned and help other people get through this process,” she said.

“If from this experience other people have a heightened sense of the need for screening, then that's the benefit from this for me,” said Bob Young.

Young says he plans to return to Washington, D.C. in two weeks to continue serving as the Region Four Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Gwen Fulcher Young now works with the American Heart Association to help bring awareness. She also runs a successful real estate business.