The Rev. Anthony Janik, Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point spiritual services director, leads prayers during a Shine a Light Lung Cancer Vigil in the hospital’s Marian Education Center Nov. 14. The program honored those who are dealing or who have dealt with the disease, among them George Geras, 89, of Crown Point, whose early detection of a cancerous lung lesion, discovered during an x-ray after injuring his shoulder and following treatment at Franciscan St. Anthony Health, has had him free of the disease for seven years and enjoying an active lifestyle.
The importance of early detection and follow-through was a theme throughout the program and stressed by physicians who addressed the audience, including Mohamed Farhat, M.D., oncology/hematology specialist and medical director of the hospital’s Burrell Cancer Center, who served as master of ceremonies and discussed new milestones in lung cancer treatment.
Understanding new diagnostic testing for the disease was addressed by Charles Rebesco, M.D., a pulmonary disease specialist; while Eias Jweied, M.D., a cardiovascular and thoracic surgery specialist, discussed new surgical techniques used for treatment. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Franciscan Alliance Northern Indiana Region hospitals recently began offering lung screening programs.
For more information, call, toll-free, (855) 472-1659, or visit www.franciscanalliance.org/cancer.