News

McLaren Flint is excited to partner with Mid-Michigan NOW and former news anchor and prostate cancer survivor Bill Harris for a free prostate cancer screening event in honor of Veterans’ Day.  Harris is a longtime veterans advocate. He has also shared his own brave prostate cancer journey with the community in hopes of building awareness of this potentially deadly disease, the importance of screening, and the value of having a strong support system during a cancer battle.  Harris had no sympto...

When something suspicious shows up on a routine mammogram, patients are often asked to come back for further screening. It happened to Caroline Allen in May 2025.  “They called me back a week or so later and told me they saw something and wanted to take another look,” Caroline said. “I have dense breasts, so it has happened before. I didn’t think much of it.” Caroline got the shock of her life when she learned the radiologist discovered a mass on her breast ultrasound. “It was 5 millimeters- about ...

Cancer has darkened Donna Ross’ door five times, and it all started with a lump in her left breast. “The cancer had spread to my lymph nodes,” Donna said. “I had a mastectomy at Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, and I felt grateful I beat the cancer.”   However, in 2018 doctors discovered the cancer had spread to Donna’s brain, putting her life on the line once again. “That time I was treated at Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Flint ,” Donna said. “And I have been fighting cancer with my c...

When Randy Hoffman’s PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) score kept rising, both he and his doctor decided it was time to act. “They say age will make your PSA climb, but when it shot straight up, I knew something was going on,” Randy said. “I was referred to a urologist, who did a biopsy and discovered I had an aggressive prostate cancer.  My Gleason score was 8.” The Gleason score is a grading system for prostate cancer.  Scores of 8 and higher indicate higher grade cancers that are growing fast...

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...