How One Patient’s Commitment to Screening Saved His Life

For Marcus Whitlow, routine health screenings made all the difference. A retired military servicemember and former police officer, Marcus now spends his retirement “just trying to enjoy the rest of my life.” But not long ago, that future was uncertain—until a simple, annual CT lung scan caught his cancer early.

Marcus had smoked for about 50 years, which put him at higher risk for lung cancer. When Riverside Healthcare began offering annual CT lung cancer screenings, his primary care provider encouraged him to make it a regular habit. “Ever since Riverside started offering a CT lung scan, my regular physician, Liz Deck, told me ‘you need to have this done every single year,’” he recalls.

When “Okay” Takes a Turn

For years, the scans were reassuring. Occasionally, a small nodule would appear and then disappear on a follow-up scan. But several years ago, one spot didn’t go away—and it grew. Marcus was referred to pulmonologist Dr. Khana, who performed a lung biopsy. The results were cancer.

“Those are words you never want to hear,” Marcus shares.

From there, things moved quickly. Marcus was referred to Riverside Cancer Institute and met with Dr. Hamden, who reviewed the scans and gave him hopeful news. Because the cancer had been caught early and was still localized, treatment could be very effective. “He said they were going to knock it out of me,” Marcus remembers. “And fortunately, we caught it in the early stages.”

The Treatment Journey

Marcus began a combination of radiation and immunotherapy that lasted about five months. The treatment was intensive, but it worked. “Sure enough, they did knock it out of me. They cured me from the cancer,” he explains. Now, he continues with regular follow-up scans every three months to monitor for recurrence and keep the cancer in remission.

Looking back, Marcus says early detection was everything. “Prevention is the main thing, and catching things early are the most important things,” he offers. He’s passionate about encouraging others—especially men—to stay on top of recommended screenings. He points to colonoscopies and prostate cancer blood tests as other tools that can save lives when problems are found early.

Marcus was also deeply impressed by how seamlessly his care team worked together across multiple Riverside locations. “From the time we diagnosed that it was cancerous, within a week I was starting immunotherapy and starting radiation,” he notes. “I couldn’t believe how well everybody worked together. They treated you like family and kept you in the loop of everything going on.”

Most of his early treatment took place at Riverside’s Bourbonnais campus, and later he was able to go between Bourbonnais and Frankfort depending on the appointment. Throughout it all, he says the experience felt coordinated and supportive. “The staff, the nurses, doctors, everybody has just been tremendous. They’re just like family.”

When treatment ended, Marcus had the chance to ring the bell—a tradition many cancer centers use to mark the end of therapy. His reaction? “Euphoria. They kept their promise.”

Life After Cancer

Even now, when he sees members of the care team, it feels like reconnecting with old friends. “Any concern you had, they followed up on it. I just feel at home here,” he emphasizes.

Marcus has a clear message for anyone who qualifies for lung cancer screening: don’t skip it. “A CT lung scan is five minutes. It’s really nothing,” he assures. “If somebody has smoked or is a former smoker, take advantage of this CT lung scan. When catching things early, they can more than likely cure you. But, if you wait too long until you have symptoms, then a lot of times it can be too late.”

Today, Marcus is back to enjoying retirement—with gratitude for the screenings, the doctors, and the coordinated care that helped give him a second chance.

Talk with your primary care provider about a routine CT lung cancer screening. For more information on cancer care at Riverside, go to myrhc.net/cancer.