Joseph Debban FNP

10/29/2025

I want to introduce you to someone very special — my new partner in our mission at Debban Wellness, Mariah Curtis, APRN.

Mariah is one of those rare people who has every reason to be impressive on paper — and somehow still manages to be even more impressive in person. She’s an award-winning nurse practitioner (recently honored with the Nebraska Hospital Association’s “Caring Kind 2025” award), and she somehow juggles orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, and air medical flight nursing — all at once.

When she joined our team, I knew things like hormone therapy, medical weight loss, and sexual medicine were new territory for her. But what I didn’t expect was how fast she’d make it her own. Today, I watched her sit with patients and connect with them in ways you just can’t teach. It’s that same kind of connection this practice was built on — authentic, human, and full of heart.

Mariah brings not just skill, but soul, to what we do.

When she’s not in the clinic, you’ll usually find her outside — running, walking, or soaking up sunshine at the lake. She’s engaged to Chris, a firefighter here in Kearney, and they share life with their French Bulldog, Frankie (who apparently runs the household).

We couldn’t be more excited to have her as part of the Debban Wellness family — and I’m proud to call her my partner in this work as we keep growing our mission to help people take back their health, confidence, and energy.

Discover personalized wellness care at J Debban Wellness, Nebraska’s leading clinic for hormone therapy, medical weight loss, and longevity medicine. Experience tailored treatment plans designed to help you achieve optimal health and vitality.

10/11/2025

Most of what we call healthcare isn’t really care at all.

It’s maintenance. Management. Survival. “Sick Care”.

We wait until something breaks —
then we patch it up, prescribe it out, and hope it holds.

That’s not health. That’s damage control.

See, the system wasn’t built to make you thrive.
It was built to keep you from dying.
And those are not the same thing.

If you want health — real, vibrant, fire-in-your-gut, clear-in-your-mind health —
you’ve got to take the wheel.
You’ve got to become your own best advocate.

Ask questions.
Know your numbers.
Understand what your body’s whispering before it starts to scream.

Because nobody’s coming to save you.
Not the system. Not the insurance card. Not the prescription pad.

This isn’t about rebellion.
It’s about responsibility.

Responsibility to the body that carries you,
to the mind that dreams through you,
and to the years ahead that are still waiting on you.

So stop waiting for permission to be healthy.
Stop outsourcing your intuition.
And stop believing that feeling “fine” is the same as being well.

You have one life. One vessel.
And how it feels — every day you wake up —
that’s on you.

Don’t wait for the system to change. It won’t.

Take it back.

10/07/2025

Every once in a while, life hands you a quiet reminder that the work matters.

Being named Best of Dawson and Gosper County 2025 by the Lexington Clipper-Herald — for the second time — is one of those reminders. It’s not about the award itself. It’s about the people who walk through our doors, trust us with their health, and keep coming back because they feel seen, heard, and cared for.

When I started this journey, I didn’t set out to win anything. I set out to make a difference — to help people reclaim their sense of control over their lives. Somewhere along the way, that purpose turned into a calling, and that calling turned into a community.

This recognition belongs to every patient who took the first step, every team member who shows up with heart, and every person who believes health is something worth fighting for (but especially for my team members!).

So here’s to staying the course. To doing good work quietly, consistently, and with intention. To showing up when no one’s watching — because that’s where the real wins are made.

— Joe

09/13/2025

The case for hope

I’ve always leaned on evidence to give me certainty.
A test result, a ledger, a list.
Something I could hold in my hand and say, See? This is real. This is true.

But the older I get, the more I realize that hope doesn’t fit in a spreadsheet.
It doesn’t check the boxes, it doesn’t balance the math.
Hope is unreasonable. Illogical. Irrational.
And thank God it is.

Because when the facts are stacked against us, it’s hope that lets us keep going anyway.
When reason says quit, hope whispers just one more step.
When reality says there’s no way, hope clears a small path through the thicket and says walk.

We are not blind. We see the odds, the pain, the brokenness.
And still insist: try again
That’s not naivety—it’s courage.

So maybe the point is not to demand proof before we believe.
Maybe the point is to believe so deeply that proof shows up later, trailing behind like a shadow.
Maybe hope is the thing that builds the evidence, not the other way around.

This weekend, I’m choosing to keep that flame lit.
To let hope interrupt my logic, to let it bend the numbers, to let it carry me past what I can’t explain.
Because if we’re going to build a future worth living in,
it will be because we had the courage to hope for it first.

09/07/2025

"THE MOMENT"

Every week I sit across from new patients.
Sometimes they’re nervous. Sometimes they’re hopeful.
And almost always, when I ask the question—“If you could change something about your health or body, what would it be?”—they pause.

It’s not because they don’t have an answer.
It’s because the answer has been living inside them for years.

“I just want my energy back.”
“I want to feel confident in my skin again.”
“I want to be here long enough to see my grandkids grow up.”

That moment… it’s one of my favorite parts of the job.
Because you can see it—the flicker. The realization that the thing they’ve been waiting for isn’t a diet, or a magic medicine, or even me.

It’s a decision.

And let me tell you, I’ve seen the strongest transformations not in the gym, not in the lab results, not on the scale…
but in that exact second a person finally whispers to themselves,

“I can’t live like this anymore.”

That’s the pivot point.
That’s when everything starts to change.

The truth is, you don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need to have the whole plan figured out.
You don’t even need to feel ready.

You just have to decide.

And once you do—the road may still be messy.
You’ll slip. You’ll stumble. You’ll want to turn back.
But something’s different now.
The weight of waiting is gone.

THE FEAR OF FAILING IS LIGHTER THAN THE PAIN OF STAYING THE SAME.

That’s the lesson I see again and again:
Your life doesn’t change when the stars align.
It changes in the quiet courage of one choice, made on an ordinary day, when no one’s watching but you.

So maybe today is that day.
Maybe today’s the day you stop negotiating with yourself and start moving forward—imperfect, but moving.

Because the moment you decide… that’s the moment your life begins again.

As always, if you'd like a little nudge, we are always here to help.

—Joe

09/05/2025

You don’t stumble into the life you want. You earn it, one decision at a time.

We all crave ease.
We want the smooth road, the green lights, the shortcuts.
But here’s the thing about ease: it doesn’t sharpen you.
It doesn’t teach you.
It doesn’t reveal you.

The friction is where the growth happens.
The awkward first attempts.
The long, messy middle where nothing feels polished yet.
The days when you’re showing up tired, uncertain, and still giving it what you’ve got.

That’s the sacred stuff.
The stuff no one posts about.
The stuff that makes you.

Looking back, you won’t remember the easy seasons.
You’ll remember the ones that tested you, stretched you, nearly broke you — and then shaped you into someone stronger, clearer, and more alive.

So don’t curse the struggle.
Don’t run from the resistance.
Don’t waste your energy wishing the road was smoother.

Thank it.
Because it’s the only thing honest enough to shape you into who you’re meant to be.

– Joe

08/31/2025

Dr Rubin was one of the educators at Harvard Medical Education on hormonal therapy and I learned so much from her. The first story she tells is so familiar to me! Im sure many of my patients can relate

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN-s1QrDUb2/?igsh=MTNwMTZ2d3J1cmRsbA==

08/30/2025

This!

08/28/2025

Testosterone isn’t just for the guys. Time for an FDA-approved option for women—because their health deserves legitimacy too.

Discover personalized wellness care at J Debban Wellness, Nebraska’s leading clinic for hormone therapy, medical weight loss, and longevity medicine. Experience tailored treatment plans designed to help you achieve optimal health and vitality.

08/26/2025

Meet Jocelyn, our newest team member!

08/25/2025

Meet Jocelyn – Our Newest Team Member at J Debban Wellness

We’re so excited to welcome Jocelyn, RN, to our family here at J Debban Wellness.

Jocelyn’s journey with us started as a patient—she loved being truly heard and cared for in a way that felt different from traditional medicine. That experience inspired her to join our team and bring that same level of empathy and attention to others.

Her passion? Gut health.
With her background in GI care and a personal drive to learn more, Jocelyn believes that so much of our overall health begins in the digestive system. She’s excited to help patients look deeper than just “band-aid” fixes and work toward real solutions at the root cause.

What can you expect when working with Jocelyn?

Her full attention

Compassion and understanding

A commitment to helping you truly fix what’s going on—not just mask the symptoms

Outside of the clinic, Jocelyn is happiest outdoors. She stays busy with her two daughters, loves spending time around horses, and still finds time to lace up her running shoes.

We’re thrilled to have her on board, and we know you’ll love her just as much as we do.

08/17/2025

Testosterone Therapy and Prostate Cancer: What the Guidelines Really Say

For decades, men with prostate cancer were told testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) was off the table. The belief was that higher testosterone would “feed” prostate cancer and accelerate its growth. This thinking came largely from 1940s research showing that reducing testosterone could shrink metastatic cancer, while adding testosterone could stimulate it.

But newer evidence tells a more nuanced story—especially for men who have been successfully treated for localized prostate cancer. Today, guidelines from leading urological and endocrine organizations recognize that testosterone therapy can be considered for some men, as long as it is managed carefully.

What the Guidelines Say

American Urological Association (AUA)

In 2018, the AUA stated that hypogonadal men (men with low testosterone) who have a history of treated prostate cancer should not automatically be excluded from TRT.

Decisions should be individualized, with full transparency about the limits of long-term data.

Target testosterone levels should generally be in the mid-normal range (450–600 ng/dL).

Close monitoring is critical: PSA and testosterone levels should be checked every 3–6 months, with additional early monitoring for men who start with very low baseline testosterone (