Regional Medical Center | Thrive for Life | Fall 2018

Cigarette smoking increases your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, lung, esophagus, pancreas, cervix, kidney, bladder, stomach, colon, rectum and liver, as well as of acute myeloid leukemia. In some studies, breast cancer and advanced-stage prostate cancer have also been linked to smoking. Smoking also greatly increases your risks of developing a debilitating, long-term lung disease like emphysema or chronic bronchitis. It raises your risk for heart attack, stroke, blood vessel diseases and eye diseases. No matter how old you are or how long you’ve smoked, quitting can help you be healthier and live longer. When you quit, health risks decrease immediately and continue to diminish over time. Quit now ●  ● Visit QuitNowAlabama.com . ●  ● Call 1-800-QuitNow ( 1-800-784-8669 ). ●  ● Find the benefits of quitting, along with the American Cancer Society’s guide to quitting smoking, at morehealth.org/quit4good . Gaddys Howard (right) with his wife, Freda AT 68 YEARS OLD and living with diabetes, Gaddys Howard is diligent about quarterly medical checkups and annual physicals. After all, he has a lot to live for. With his wife, Freda, he enjoys spending time with their children and grandchildren. On a routine chest x-ray for Howard’s physical in summer 2017, doctors saw a spot on his lung. After a needle biopsy confirmed lung cancer, Howard talked with the doctors about a treatment plan. Because of the tumor’s location, surgery was not an option. In September 2017, Howard began chemotherapy and IMRT—intensity- modulated radiation therapy. A healing journey Today, Howard’s cancer has regressed. Remarkably, he hasn’t missed a day of work throughout this journey. Thankfully, he does not have to travel for treatments—these advanced cancer services are available in Anniston at RMC. As an associate of the UAB Health System Cancer Community Network, RMC gives patients access to the latest discoveries and top expertise in cancer care. And the sophisticated diagnostic and follow-up imaging he requires is all right here too: He now has a CT scan every three months to monitor the impact of treatment and the faded spot on his lung. “My doctor has since told me that his early thoughts would not have given me four months to live,” says Howard. “I believe that if you keep yourself going and active, the good Lord will take care of you!” With a daughter and son-in-law who are registered nurses and another daughter who works in the laboratory at RMC Anniston, Howard is well-fortified in his fight against cancer. He may be a quitter in the world of smoking, having smoked for 40 years and stopped cold turkey—but he’s not giving up on this battle. “I want to see my grandkids grow up,” Howard concludes. One patient’s story Friday, Nov. 16, is the Great American Smokeout. 9 rmccares.org