Cancer screening program helps Rosemount man keep up with his grandkids
"Family is everything to me,” Jim said.
Being there for family — including his young grandsons — was Jim’s inspiration for recovering from a health journey that started with his primary care team and eventually led him to Allina Health Cancer Institute.
“I was scared that my time was limited, and I didn't want that,” Jim said.
Since Jim had been a smoker for many years, and because smoking is the most common risk factor for developing lung cancer, his annual checkup included a lung cancer screening.
“The majority of early-stage lung cancers don’t produce any symptoms,” said thoracic surgeon Benjamin Zhang, MD. “That’s why these scans are so important.”
“Within Allina, we have a very robust lung cancer screening program,” said Anuja Sharma, MD, medical director of the program. “The vast majority of cancers that get detected during the screening process are in the early stage and have far better outcomes.”
That was the case for Jim, whose CT scan revealed early-stage cancer that was able to be surgically removed by Dr. Zhang.
“That CT scan is such an easy procedure,” Jim said. “It should be very important to people, especially smokers.”
Now smoke-free and recovered from surgery, Jim is back to biking with his grandson and enjoying time with his whole family.
“I was at the right place, at the right time, with the right people at Allina Health,” Jim said. “I’m forever grateful.”
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