Frank Destadio resigned this week from the Peachtree City CityCouncil, as other articles have shared. The Citizen had a conversation with Frank to find out what’s really going on with his health, what he’s most proud of in his time serving the city, and who has made his journey an excellent one. 

You may have heard that Frank was struggling with cancer these last two and a half years, an aggressive melanoma that started on his back and went to his lymph nodes. It was stage IV by the time they found it. 

What you may not know is that the immunotherapy he’s been given has been successful, and his cancer is in remission. “It did its job. It killed the cancer,” said Frank.

Like a lot of cancer treatments, Frank’s has been very rough on his body, causing extreme weakness. “It’s kind of broken down most of my resistance and it’s in my nervous system. So I have trouble walking now,” he said.

And that’s the reason why he resigned this last week. According to Frank, his doctors say he will continue to get stronger, as he recovers from the cancer treatment. That recovery is requiring him to give up his seventeen years serving in city politics in one way or another, which included stints on the water and sewer authority, the planning commission, and the city council. 

He shared, “I’m just really proud to be part of the Peachtree City Council and things I did before that. I really do appreciate everybody’s support. I have a lot of friends on the council. It’s always made given me opportunities to keep going if I wanted to. Mayor Kim constantly said, it’s your decision. You stay as long as you want to stay. I’m really honored that she let me have that opportunity.”

Frank is most proud of the effort he made on council to make Peachtree City a Purple Heart City. He loves to see the signs going in and out of the city, knowing that he’s the one that shuttled that application process through the federal channels to make it happenthat Peachtree City honors veterans in a bigger way. 

He has a list of people he’s grateful for at the City, besides Mayor Kim Learnard, he says that Clint Holland acted as his de factor chauffeur while he was undergoing treatments, making sure that he made it to all the meetings that he could. He credits Justin Strickland, Yasmin Julio and Stacey Collins in the City as being instrumental in getting good things done. 

Frank Destadio is grateful to his oncology doctors at Piedmont Cancer, Dr. Ranadive and Dr. Lohiya for saving his life. And he’s most grateful to his wife of 55 years, Sandi, who he met in high school driver’s ed training. “She’s the love of my life,” said Frank.