- 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.”
- Community, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThe year was 1997 when Edward Zebovitz, DDS, first learned about the crucial need for medical and dental care in developing regions of the world such as the Philippines, Caribbean, East Africa, and Bangladesh. “A colleague of my father’s was doing mission trips, and I knew I had to get involved,” says the oral and maxillofacial surgeon with a practice based in Bowie. The non-profit organization Surgeons for Smiles was born. Seventeen years later, Dr. Zebovitz and his team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and support staff have completed their 34th mission trip. This time they went to Sorsogon, a province on the island of Luzon in the Philippines where genetic facial deformities like cleft lip and cleft palate are common. The team performed 50 cleft lip and palate surgeries on children in just five days. “The conditions are horrible,” Dr. Zebovitz says of the places he travels. “People’s basic needs, like shelter and food, aren’t always met. It is very sad to see.” They rely on donations to fund the missions. Whatever is not donated, Dr. Zebovitz personally finances. This spring, Dr. Zebovitz, who is married to OB-GYN Coryse Brathwaite, MD, and has four children ages 18, 20, 21, and 22, will go on another trip. This time, they will go to East Africa. “I hope to one day retire to Surgeons for Smiles,” says Dr. Zebovitz, with a smile.
- Community, Pediatrics, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhen local pediatrician, Dr. Steve Brown, was young, he dreamed of being a doctor working on a boat. The first part of his dream defined his career as a pediatrician, and last year, he realized the second part while he served as a volunteer at The Lake Clinic, Cambodia. The clinic brings doctors, medical supplies and other services to seven floating villages on the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Many of the houses in these villages are either floating structures or built on stilts over the water, and the area is so remote that the only way to bring a clinic to the people is by boat. Dr. Brown had been consulting with clinics (including one in Cuba) over the internet for a year or so, helping them to assess more difficult illnesses or conditions. “I’ll get pictures of dermatological conditions, or something that transmits in a photograph,” he says, “and it’s easy for me to get a specialist to take a look at it.” After helping patients online, Dr. Brown had an opportunity to spend a month at the clinic where he experienced first-hand the extreme needs of people in such a remote location. “We traveled three to four hours to reach people who couldn’t even seek medical care if they wanted to,” he says. “Families are living off of $2 per day and it cost $40 to $50 worth of fuel just to get us there.” He says the most rewarding aspect of the work is the appreciation shown by the people they were helping. “The people are just so grateful that you’re there helping them and it gives you a warm feeling inside to be able to do that.” Dr. Brown also volunteers for Project Angkor, a humanitarian mission that sets up free temporary clinics in remote areas to treat patients and help train Cambodian medical students. Cambodia has a special draw for Dr. Brown, but volunteerism has characterized his career both near and far. As a member of the Maryland Physician Emergency Volunteer Corps, he worked with the Red Cross after hurricane Katrina to see people in Maryland who had been displaced from homes and needed medical care. “This kind of work is definitely what I went into medicine for,” he says. “I wanted to be able to help people who need the help.”
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