Feature

When it comes to diagnosing and treating lung cancer patients, speed is the key, according to Dr. Kalyani Narra, a physician at the JPS Health Network Oncology and Infusion Center.

That’s why JPS oncologists and pulmonologists have joined forces to streamline the process patients follow from their initial visit. In the last year, work to streamline the process has cut the time from first visit to the doctor to starting a treatment plan by about 25 percent. That’s a very big deal, according to Narra.

Surgery can often be the key to saving lives or making them better. A couple hours on the operating table and life-threatening issues could suddenly be a problem of the past.

But what if the patient isn’t prepared for their operation? Things like high blood pressure, complications of diabetes, smoking and obesity can sometimes make it too risky for the patient to undergo surgery. That’s where the JPS Surgical Optimization Clinic comes in.

Young doctors from across the United States covet residencies at JPS Health Network because they know there they will learn the skills needed to later land their dream job.

Three months pregnant in October, Casey Hudson was terrified to discover she had a rapidly-growing tumor attached to her right tibia. One day it seemed everything was fine, the next she was searching for a miracle to save both her life and the life of her unborn baby.

A routine dental appointment led to a devastating discovery for Nick McMillon.

An X-ray revealed a void in the middle of his jawbone near his chin that his dentist initially thought was an abscess. Upon further investigation, however, the problem turned out to be much more serious: It was a tumor that created a hole about the size of a quarter in McMillon’s mandible.

When Fort Worth resident Jennifer Beyer learned she had breast cancer, she didn’t have any doubt that she was going to beat the disease.

“I didn’t know what God’s plan was for me,” Beyer, 45, said about her reaction to the startling diagnosis. “But I knew that it wasn’t to lay down in a bed and die. I still have too much that I want and need to do. I’m a single mom of two kids.”