A Poster Child For Early Detection

I had been a patient of Dr. Breytenbach's for a number of years, and so when he affiliated with MDVIP, it was a "no brainer" that I would continue as his patient and a MDVIP member.
During one of my routine visits, I casually mentioned that my brother had recently been treated for a malignant brain tumor that had metastasized from his lungs. The next appointment that I had with Dr. Breytenbach was to review the results of my wellness exam, which showed no abnormal changes from previous exams. I mentioned that I had just received word that my sister had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer that had metastasized to her lungs. In view of the fact that both my brother and sister were both dealing with lung cancer, Dr. Breytenbach immediately recommended that I have a routine preventative scan, even though I showed no symptoms and despite the fact that that my insurance would probably not pay for it.
His office was able to schedule the exam for the next Friday morning. That Friday afternoon, I received a personal call from Dr. Breytenbach asking if he could come to our house and meet with me that afternoon. When he arrived, he informed me that, while on the golf course, he had received a phone call from the imaging center and that they had detected an abnormality on my right lung. He immediately sent me to our local hospital for blood work to determine if we were dealing with the aftereffects of Valley Fever or something more serious. Once Valley Fever had been ruled out, I was referred to a chest specialist who ran additional tests which determined that I had a malignant tumor on my lung. All agreed that the best course of treatment would be a resection of the lower lobe of my right lung followed by a regimen of chemotherapy treatments. A year has passed since my surgery. Both of the scans I have had subsequent to that treatment have shown no signs of any remaining cancer.
Two statements made to me during my treatment have made an indelible impression on me. The chest specialist stated that "You are the poster child for early detection", and the Oncology Nurse Practitioner at the Oncology Center, after hearing my story, said simply, "Dr. Breytenbach saved your life".