Advances in lung procedures offer McHenry resident a new outlook on life despite cancer diagnosis
MCHENRY — With November being Lung Cancer Awareness Month, one area resident is sharing his journey in hopes of educating others to be vigilant of their health, while also offering inspiration for those receiving a lung cancer diagnosis.
59-year-old McHenry resident Brian Daleske feared he could be developing pneumonia and decided to visit a doctor after having experienced a chronic cough for a few weeks.
Once his doctor listened to his lungs, Daleske was told that some x-rays of his chest needed to be taken. Given his family history of cancer, Daleske told himself that this could be the beginning of a long road ahead.
After the x-rays, Daleske returned for a CT scan that would be able to provide doctors with a more detailed image of his lungs. Following that scan, he got a biopsy which confirmed Daleske’s suspicions—he was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer.
According to Daleske, cancer was a prevalent occurrence among his loved ones. He described having lost his mother, brother, and two sisters to the disease.
“When I was told that I had lung cancer, I assumed that was it for me. I got my finances in place, was going to sell my home, and just tried to make sure that my daughter would be taken care of when I was gone,” he said. “It didn’t really occur to me that there could be another scenario possible with the diagnosis I received.”
Despite the seriousness of his diagnosis, Daleske’s fears were quickly alleviated when he met with Dr. Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery and director of Canning Thoracic Institute at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital.
“I met Dr. Bharat at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, expecting a dismal outcome, but it was the opposite. He explained how I had non-small cell adenocarcinoma of the right lung that would be treated using minimally invasive surgery, meaning I had some damage on part of my right lung that needed to be taken out,” said Daleske. “However, he told me that they would be able to take out only the segment where the damage was, leaving the remaining healthy lung tissue as is and thereby preserving my lung capacity.”
With the procedure that was performed on Daleske, patients can often leave the hospital on the same day, however, in Daleske’s case, he had a brief stay due to some previous lung issues he developed years ago.
“We were able to perform a robotic lung-conserving surgery to take the tumor out,” explained Dr. Bharat. “This advanced, minimally invasive surgery removes only a section of the lung that includes the lung cancer tumor sparing the larger portion which is called the lobe. This type of surgery offers a faster recovery while preserving the overall lung function.”
He continued, “In both men and women, lung cancer kills more people than any other in the United States. Unfortunately, numerous patients are never smokers or may have had secondhand smoking in their households or before public smoking was banned. They may have other types of exposures such as air pollution that caused lung cancer. The best scenario is that patients get timely and regular lung screening to catch the cancer early and get it removed.”
Following his surgery, Daleske was told that no other cancer treatments would be required, allowing him to return to the life he had before his diagnosis.
“The best news I got was that I wouldn’t have to have chemotherapy or radiation after my surgery,” stated Daleske. “They got the cancer out, and for now, I can continue on with my life. I don’t feel short of breath, am trying to incorporate more walking into my daily routine, and feel no different than before I had this surgery. I am blessed that this relatively simple procedure was able to be conducted so close to my home, as I live less than three miles from the hospital. To get the highest level of care near my own home was something I never would have imagined, and for that, I am grateful.”
To learn more, individuals can visit nm.org.
