Author: Leslie Toldo
Stress is part of the job description for 911 operators. Colleen DeMars-Eickholt found different ways to cope; some were not so healthy.
“I smoked for 40 years,” Colleen said. “I would have a cigarette to calm down between calls.”
Colleen had COPD and knew she needed to quit, but it wasn’t until someone she loved faced a health crisis that she finally did something about it.
“My husband developed a heart issue because of his smoking,” Colleen said. “I smoked my last cigarette on October 30, 2024.”
She started having annual CT scans to screen for lung cancer. In August 2025, less than a year after she quit smoking, Colleen’s scan showed a nodule on her lower left lung. A follow-up PET scan confirmed the nodule was suspicious for cancer. She was sent for a biopsy.
“We performed an ION robotic bronchoscopy on Colleen,” said McLaren Flint pulmonologist Dr. Peter Sabbagh. “This robotic-assisted technology allows us get to smaller cancers in areas that can be hidden or harder to reach during other procedures.”
ION is also a less invasive procedure, which means patients suffer fewer side effects afterward.
“I had it done on a Thursday and I was back to work Saturday,” Colleen said. “It is amazing to me that they can do these procedures so well and so precisely, with minimal side effects.”
However, the biopsy revealed Colleen’s worst fear was reality- she had small cell lung cancer.
“It is so scary, and you Google everything, and that’s even scarier,” Colleen said. “I thought ‘this is not good. I won’t be around much longer.’”
A meeting with Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Flint oncologist Dr. Sandeep Grewal helped quiet those fears.
“I was worried about whether the cancer might have spread, but Dr. Grewal said he thought they caught it early enough,” Colleen said.
Further scans showed the cancer did not appear to have spread anywhere else in Colleen’s body, most likely because it was caught so early.
“The major benefit of the ION technology is that it allows us to catch cancers we might otherwise miss until they are at a later stage, meaning better outcomes for patients,” said Dr. Grewal.
In Colleen’s case, this meant the cancer was operable. McLaren Flint cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. John Kuhn performed a robotic-assisted resection to remove part of Collen’s lower left lung lobe.
“I think it is really nice that all of my doctors were with McLaren,” Colleen said. “It was so helpful to have so many appointments with so many lab results all in one system. “
A single system that McLaren Lung Nodule Program nurse navigator Brittany Hall helped manage for Colleen.
“I like that I am able to help patients keep all of their tests, appointments, and information coordinated, to answer their questions, and offer moral support,” Brittany said.
For Colleen, this journey has turned into a mission. She hopes she inspires current and former smokers to get annual lung CT scans. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends the scans for adults 50 to 80, who have at least a 20 pack-year smoking history, who currently smoke or have quit within the last 15 years.
“I hope it at least inspires someone to get the lung scan done, but if they stop smoking that would be even better,” Colleen said. “I wish I had never started and had better coping skills. “
To learn more about McLaren Flint’s Lung Nodule Program and a list of our lung CT screening centers, visit mclaren.org/flintlungprogram.