- Cancer Care, Community, Women's Health, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIn 2011, Sandra Gunn donated a week’s stay at her vacation house to a breast cancer patient and her family. It was a way to honor her friend Leslie Twohig, who had passed away from breast cancer earlier that year. The family was so grateful, that Sandra did it again 2012. But it wasn’t until last year, when she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer and undergoing treatment at AAMC that she understood she had begun something truly special. “I was in workshops with women who had stage 4 cancer, some who had double mastectomies, some who had no hope,” she says. “I became so touched by their stories and their strength and determination, and I realized what I was doing with Leslie’s Week was serious.” Recognizing a need that wasn’t being filled, Sandra founded Leslie’s Week as a nonprofit organization to provide a vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee to mothers with incurable breast cancer and their families. The time in the mountains allows families to get away from some of the stress, celebrate life together, build memories and find hope for the future. Everything is provided for them including groceries, tickets to nearby attractions and a community of neighbors ready to help out, if needed. “There are all kinds of nonprofits for fighting cancer, finding cures, and grants for research, et cetera,” she says. “But there are very few organizations offering support for women who are stage 4 who need it now, and for their children who need the support now.” To extend the reach of Leslie’s Week, she is working to establish an educational endowment for the children of women who’ve stayed there. “Whether trade school or university or whatever, we want these children to have an education. And we want their mothers to know as they are going through this illness that her children will be looked after and educated. We want her to have hope and to have her children’s future like a song in her heart. That’s what we’re about.”
- Cancer Care, Men's Health, Women's Health, Wellness, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAndy Baum had tried everything from the nicotine patch to hypnosis, but after 50 years of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, he hadn’t managed to kick the habit. “Nothing worked,” said the 62-year-old Edgewater resident. “But I knew I had to stop before it was too late.” Because of his smoking history, Andy’s primary care physician, Eric Marcalus, MD, recommended him for AAMC’s lung screening program for patients who have a high risk of developing lung cancer. The CT scan Andy received is two-and-a-half times more effective at detecting early stage lung cancer than traditional X-rays. “I felt lucky that the screening was clear, and I thought if I don’t quit smoking now, I’m just killing myself,” Andy said. Andy contacted smoking cessation nurse Joanne Ebner, RN, but just one day before their scheduled meeting, Andy ended up in the emergency room unable to breathe and subsequently had a four-day hospital stay. Both Joanne and Dr. Marcalus paid him a visit in the hospital, but the experience had convinced Andy he could quit on his own. It was the first time the retired New Jersey police officer had been on the receiving end of emergency care. “This really scared me and I thought I was cured.” Within a month, he was smoking again, and he enrolled in Joanne’s smoking cessation program. “It was unbelievable what I learned,” Andy said. “It turned me right around. I learned how cigarettes control your life, and how the receptors in your brain make you want more.” In addition to hard facts, the program provided practical tips and tools to deal with cravings. “I had never heard about all the triggers that make you want to smoke,” Andy said. Andy quit on February 14, 2012, and since then he feels great. “I used to get bronchitis two or three times a year, but I haven’t had it once this year. I have more energy, and food tastes great now.” Even his friends tell him he looks healthier and has more color in his face. Andy has returned to the smoking cessation classes to encourage others to take control of their lives. “You’ve got to do it,” he says. “Life’s too short to be killing yourself with cigarettes.”
- Men's Health, Wellness, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogTwins Andrew and Anthony Henderson grew up on a farm in Upper Marlboro where being active and fit was just a part of daily life. But over time, age, busy lives, and injuries slowed them down. That’s when the weight gain began to creep up on them. They both struggled to keep the weight down, but nothing worked, and it eventually took a toll on their health. Last year, at 47 years old, Andrew decided it was time for a major change. He signed up for a free weight loss seminar at AAMC to learn about his options. Together with Dr. Alex Gandsas who leads AAMC’s Weight Loss and Metabolic Surgery Program, Andrew determined that gastric sleeve surgery was right for him. Inspired by his brother’s success, Anthony has joined the weight loss program and is preparing for gastric surgery. “Since he had the surgery I was amazed, how he’s doing so good,” Anthony says, gesturing toward his brother. “I got jealous. Now, I want what he got.” Andrew laughs. “It’s true. When I walk in the door my family says ‘where’s the rest of you?” Before attending the weight loss seminar, Andrew weighed 407 pounds. He suffered from sleep apnea, diabetes, high cholesterol and gout. “It seemed like every time I went to the doctor, I was not responding to the medication and they gave me something else. I was on 13 medications total.” All that changed after his surgery. Within four months, Andrew had lost 73 pounds. The sleep apnea was gone, and he needed only two medications instead of 13. Anthony is looking forward to similar changes after his surgery. At 396 pounds, he suffers from high blood pressure and sleep apnea, and he’s taking five medications a day. Even so, the thought of surgery intimidated him and he considered not going through with it. That’s when Andrew encouraged him to go to the weight loss seminar. It gave him the information and resolve he needed. “This is a life changer,” Anthony said to his brother, “I’m glad you told me, go to that seminar. It eased me from being scared.” “The seminars are so important,” Andrew says, admitting to his own fears about surgery. “I was scared, I won’t lie. But I said, it doesn’t cost me anything to go to the seminar, so I went. It was very valuable, because things you don’t know about your own body you can learn there. You have three types of surgery that you could qualify for. You have the sleeve, then you have the lap band, and then you have the gastric bypass. He goes through each one and explains to you the purpose of it, the outcomes of it and who can qualify for it.” “You need the mindset to make the change and you need the support,” Andrew says. “And the program is lifechanging. I’m 73 pounds lighter and I got something to look forward to.” “We want to retire,” says Anthony. “We’ve got things we want to do.
- Community, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAt the summit of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, Matt King, MD, and the 15 members of his climbing party unfurled a flag honoring friends and family who have battled cancer. Among the climbers were four survivors who had faced cancer a combined seven times. They joined Dr. King as participants in Survivor Summit, a non-profit organization he co-founded two years ago with his brother Paul, who is an orthopedic surgeon at AAMC. The organization leads cancer survivors and their supporters on expeditions to the top of Africa’s tallest mountain. “It’s hard to put into words the power of that kind of experience,” says Dr. King. “It felt like the people whose names were on the honor flag were along with us on the trip.” A primary care physician in Chester on the Eastern Shore, Dr. King, his four brothers and his closest friend founded Survivor Summit as a way to inspire those struggling with cancer and to make a difference in the world. Along with funding the expeditions, donations to the organization support the Livestrong foundation, which raises awareness for cancer patients and promotes patient navigation services. “We had many powerful moments with the survivors during the climb,” he says. “One of the climbers celebrated her one year ‘cancerversary’—that’s one year being cancer free—while we were on the mountain.” This was the second expedition for Survivor Summit. Two of Dr. King’s brother’s led the first expedition in 2012. At the beginning of expedition, the team made the decision to stay together throughout the entire climb. Fewer than 20 percent of those who attempt Kilimanjaro actually succeed, and staying in a large group rather than breaking into smaller more efficient teams would make the challenge even more difficult. But the message their decision sent was clear—they would support each other and help each other throughout the physical and emotional struggle to reach to top. And they succeeded. “The way we all banded together and became a cohesive unit in two weeks was just amazing,” says Dr. King. “It really was emotionally overwhelming.”
- Weight LossGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAAMC offers two weight loss surgery procedures — sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. Both have been shown to be highly effective in combination with a long-term program of exercise, proper nutrition and medical support. Each procedure is minimally invasive and creates a small stomach pouch, helping patients feel fuller sooner and stay full longer. As less food is eaten, the body stops storing excess calories and starts using its fat supply for energy. Patients are able to digest food in a normal manner after recovery. “Bariatric surgery gives you an advantage in addition to diet and exercise, and is the only proven long-term weight loss solution,” says AAMC bariatric surgeon Courtney Doyle, MD. “By changing the anatomy, we help patients curb appetite and limit portions. These changes may also alter the body’s hormones, which can help to suppress appetite.” Return to Beating the Odds: Weight Loss Surgery Helps Man Keep the Weight Off. Save Contributor Courtney Doyle, MD, is a bariatric surgeon with AAMC.
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