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During a routine visit, Marvin Tate’s doctor suggested a PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test for the 56-year-old. “I didn’t know anything about PSA levels before that,” Marvin said. Marvin was about to learn more about PSA levels than he wanted to. His PSA came back extremely elevated. “My doctor referred me to a urologist, who suggested a biopsy,” Marvin said. “It came back positive.” Not only was his biopsy positive, but further screening revealed the cancer had spread to Marvin’s lymph nodes.&...

After he was diagnosed with stage three melanoma, Brian Brandau’s doctor in Cheboygan referred him to the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Flint. “First I had surgery,” said Brian. “Then I had to come down to Flint every three weeks for immunotherapy.” The 260-mile trip from Cheboygan to Flint was tough, and often meant staying overnight for him and his wife Martha, before or after his treatments.   “Brian’s surgical oncologist recommended we consider staying at the Hospitality House right next...

When Terry Gates started making more frequent trips to the restroom this year, his heart sank. He had been through this before. and he knew exactly what to do. “I had prostate cancer 15 years ago. So, when the symptoms showed up again, I went straight to my doctor,” Terry said. “My PSA was up, and he ordered a biopsy.” The biopsy confirmed Terry’s worst fear- his journey with prostate cancer was far from over. “I just wanted to get in, get treated, get out, and get it over with,” Terry said. Terry’s doc...

  Within a year, Patrick Yambrick’s prostate-specific antigen (PSA) number more than doubled.  That number can be an indicator of possible cancer. His doctor immediately referred Patrick to Radiation Oncologist Dr. Hesham Gayar . “My mother, my sister, and my mother’s five brothers all died of cancer,” Patrick said. “I am 81 and have been blessed with good health, so I said, ‘Let’s go to the doctor and get it done.’” Instead of having traditional photon, or x-ray, radiation, Dr. Gayar, who is ...

When Wiebke Papenfus and her husband lost their health insurance, she started skipping her annual mammogram. “I had been very diligent about getting them because my maternal grandmother died of breast cancer,” Wiebke said. During a self-breast exam Wiebke made a startling discovery- a lump in her left breast. “I went to a nurse practitioner who sent me for a mammogram and an ultrasound,” Wiebke said. “Then I had a biopsy.” The results of Wiebke’s biopsy came via email.  An occupational therapist by...

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University present the annual Breast Cancer Symposium 2025 on Saturday, April 12, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Detroit Marriott Troy (200 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, Michigan). This year’s keynote speakers include Sara Hurvitz, M.D., FACP, professor of Medicine, Smith Family Endowed Chair in Women’s Health, head of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, and senior vice president of the Clinical Research Division at the University of Washington Sc...

Taking the first bite of a meal or sip of a drink suddenly became difficult for Daniel Zuhlke. Whatever he ate or drank would stop when it reached his throat, and when it finally went down, it was painful. “I thought I had a hiatal hernia because I had watched my father struggle with one,” Daniel said. “But my doctor thought my symptoms sounded like something more serious. He sent me for tests.” Imaging, followed by a biopsy revealed Daniel did have something more serious. He had esophageal cancer. “I w...

For more than eleven years, the Hospitality House at McLaren Flint has provided overnight and extended accommodations for out-of-town patients and their families. The idea is to offer comfort and a safe place to stay during a stressful time.  A group of volunteers works tirelessly to help the staff achieve that goal. “I have worked at the Hospitality House since I joined the auxiliary, and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else,” said McLaren Flint auxiliary volunteer Karen Schlieger. Karen joined t...

When Lindsey Danias started having pain in her left breast, she did not think much of it at first. “I felt a large cyst, but I did not decide to get it checked out until the pain became unbearable and my breast felt hot,” said Lindsey. “Cancer had not crossed my mind. No one in my immediate family ever had breast cancer.” The 35-year-old’s doctor did not want to take any chances and sent Lindsey for a mammogram. “At that point, I was preparing myself for the worst,” Lindsey said. “I had started to plan ...

Steve Thomashefski got prostate cancer screenings regularly for years, then one day, his doctor surprised him. “My doctor said there was a chance I could have cancer,’” Steve said. “My PSA (prostate specific antigen) number jumped significantly in two years.” Further testing revealed Steve did, in fact, have prostate cancer, and his treatment options were somewhat limited. “The oncologist said because of my age, and because the cancer was on the outside of the prostate, surgery was not an option,” Steve...