Wellstar Moving Forward with New Branding

Stephen Nowlin became unexpectedly paralyzed one day when preparing for a Fourth of July celebration with friends. A flight EMS team was called to transport him when the flight nurse on call, Hannah Carr, recognized the address of the accident—her childhood home. She flew her father to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center, where he could have the fastest, most comprehensive trauma response—and a chance at full recovery.

When routine yard work went wrong

Preparing for his annual Fourth of July party, Stephen mowed his 13-acre property in Waco, Georgia. The routine chore took a terrifying turn when his mower flipped. Trapped underneath, he realized he was paralyzed. His friend soon discovered him lying there and called 911. 

Meanwhile, Stephen’s daughter, Hannah, was working that day as a flight nurse for a local air ambulance company. When the call came in about a 60-year-old man in a tractor accident, paralyzed, at her parents' address, she instantly knew who it was. Hannah and her air ambulance service partner were on their way. 

In good hands: first responders act fast

The local fire department and EMS arrived quickly, carefully removing the mower without moving Stephen. They transported him to a nearby landing zone where Hannah and her flight partner waited. As Stephen was loaded onto the helicopter, he told his daughter, “I just hope they can fix me.”

Hannah and her partner did a thorough, head-to-toe assessment for life-threatening injuries.

“I knew I was in good hands,” Stephen said. “She's going to take care of me better than anybody else would.”

On the flight to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center, Hannah communicated with the hospital ahead of arrival. In emergency situations, it’s important the team is assembled and ready to perform care as fast as possible. Because of their collaboration, not a minute was wasted.

When Dale Crail took the Galleri multi-cancer early detection test at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center, he didn’t expect to uncover cancer. But early results led to swift action—and now he’s encouraging others to take charge of their health too.

A proactive tool to screen for cancer

Retired life was going well for Dale. The Evans resident enjoyed casting a line on the small lake near his home and cheering on his great-nieces and nephews at their sporting events. Cancer? That was the last thing on his mind.

But during an annual wellness visit, Dale’s longtime Wellstar primary care physician, Dr. Thad Wilkins, introduced him and his wife to Galleri—a groundbreaking blood test that screens for many of the deadliest cancers before symptoms develop. Wellstar MCG Health is the first hospital in Georgia to offer the test, which is performed with a single blood draw.

“Multi-cancer early detection screening offers my patients a way to screen for more than 50 cancer types,” explained Dr. Wilkins. “And that's in addition to the five cancers that we can screen for now, like prostate, breast, cervical, colon and, in some cases, lung cancer ."

Galleri is recommended for adults with an elevated risk for cancer, including those age 50 and older. Dr. Wilkins had taken the test himself and encouraged the couple to consider adding it to their routine lab work.

At first, they passed. Dale’s wife, a cancer survivor, eventually decided to take it. Fortunately, her results came back with no cancer signal detected.

Dale continued to think about it.

“I do whatever Dr. Wilkins tells me to do,” he said with a smile. “He takes a very active interest in my health and my wife's health and tells us what we should do and when we should do it. I’ve been with him over 20 years.”

At his next visit, Dale felt a nudge—and decided it was time. He left his physician’s office, walked across the street to Wellstar MCG Health and went to the lab for the quick and convenient blood test.

“I think God smiled on me that day and said, ‘Dale, you need to take this test,’” he shared.

An unexpected result

Just days after his blood draw, Dale received a call from Dr. Wilkins. The Galleri test was positive, with a cancer signal origin in the head and neck.

“For patients with a positive Galleri test, it's very important for me as their primary care physician to know that,” Dr. Wilkins said. “Not only do I get a positive cancer signal, but it also tells me where in the body that I need to look.”

“It was surprising,” Dale said of receiving the news. “Very surprising to hear that you've got the potential to have cancer in your body.”

Dale quickly underwent follow-up diagnostic testing at Wellstar MCG Health. First, he had a CAT scan, followed by a PET scan. Both confirmed the presence of cancer.

It was a lot to take in. Dale’s wife, having previously walked through her own cancer diagnosis, knew how hard the road could be. They were both worried—but deeply grateful the cancer was caught so early.

According to Dr. Wilkins, “The value of early treatment for cancer is that oftentimes you can avoid extensive surgery, and you may avoid radiation or chemotherapy.”

Personalized care, swift action

Dale was referred to Dr. Daniel Sharbel, a board-certified otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon who specializes in head and neck oncology.

“In my field, if you catch an early throat or oropharyngeal cancer, you're able to offer patients less intensive treatment strategies,” explained Dr. Sharbel. “If patients show up with more advanced tumors, then they may require multimodal treatments. … When caught early, they may be able to get just one treatment strategy: surgery or radiation.”

Because Dale’s cancer was caught so early, Dr. Sharbel was able to perform a radical tonsillectomy and neck dissection using transoral robotic surgery—a minimally invasive approach that offered the best chance at a full recovery without additional treatment.

“We had clear margins, and he had no adverse features that were indicators for needing radiation after surgery, and only one positive lymph node with cancer in it,” Dr. Sharbel said. “That allowed us to recommend sparing him radiation therapy after surgery.”

For Dale, the speed of diagnosis and the opportunity for early intervention made all the difference.

“Early detection of my cancer gave me an option of having surgery as quickly as allowable and neutralizing the cancer that was in my body,” Dale said. “My cancer was detected so early that the surgery was much less than what it would've been a year or two years down the road.”

Dr. Sharbel said Dale’s early diagnosis gave him the best possible path forward.

“He’s done great after surgery,” he said. “He’s got a great prognosis for five-year overall and disease-free survival. I think he’s going to continue to do very well.”

Dale said the care he received at Wellstar MCG Health stood out at every step—from diagnosis to surgery to recovery.

“My surgeon, after performing surgery in the morning, came by my room about 7:30 that evening and spent a good half an hour with me just talking,” Dale said of Dr. Sharbel. “And he needed to go home. He has a family, and he took the time to come and spend a lot longer with me than I may have expected. … The care has just been fantastic.”

For Dr. Sharbel, Dale’s experience reflects what’s possible when innovation and early detection come together.

“This is the story of a big win for patient care,” he said. “This is exactly what you want out of this test. You want to be able to get somebody a minimally invasive approach and spare them radiation where they don't have to deal with the lasting effects of radiation therapy. I mean, that's huge.”

Looking ahead with gratitude

Today, Dale is cancer-free. He’s back to the life he loves—fishing, spending time with family and encouraging others to be proactive about their health. But he knows the future isn’t guaranteed.

“The cancer is gone,” he said. “I always end that statement, though, ‘for right now.’”

That’s one reason why the Galleri test can be taken annually. Because deadly cancers can develop at any time—and some can progress quickly, even in less than a year—routine screening offers ongoing peace of mind.

However, “for patients like Dale, who had a confirmed head and neck cancer, it’s recommended that we wait three years before we resume annual Galleri testing,” Dr. Wilkins noted.

Dale says the combination of early detection and compassionate, expert care played a key role in his recovery.

“I’m very appreciative of the Galleri test and the quick action that was taken on my behalf by everyone at Wellstar MCG Health,” he said. “The Galleri test detected a cancer signal so early that I was very fortunate to have the cancer treated.”

He’s also become an advocate, sharing his experience with those close to him.

“I would—and I have—encouraged friends and family to look into the Galleri test,” Dale said. “Knowing what I've gone through and how it detected my cancer at such an early stage, they're thinking seriously about taking the test.”

Make an appointment with your Wellstar MCG Health clinician to discuss if the Galleri multi-cancer early detection is right for you, or call (706) 721-9335 for more information about the test.

To schedule a wellness check, find a Wellstar primary care physician near you.

Richard Knox isn’t afraid to trust his gut. When the Hiram resident began experiencing abnormal bowel habits, he instantly knew something was off. What happened next involved advocating for his health, finding the right team of specialists to meet his needs and understanding the lifesaving role of a colonoscopy in catching colon cancer early.

Becoming an advocate

Born and raised in Smyrna, Richard spent a fulfilling career with AT&T and called many different cities “home” before his retirement in 1998. He moved back to Georgia and settled in a house by the golf course at Creekside Golf & Country Club.

Richard enjoyed an active lifestyle and managed to stay healthy; in fact, the only time he could remember staying in the hospital was in 1952 when he had his tonsils removed. However, his maternal grandfather died of colon cancer at age 65, so Richard wanted to stay proactive about his colon health, knowing his family history. He had his first routine colonoscopy in his 50s, per his physician’s recommendations—“just trying to be preventative,” he said. (Updated guidelines from the American Cancer Society now recommend that individuals at average risk for colorectal cancer start screening at age 45.)

His third colonoscopy, in 2018, showed no major cause for concern—though a blood test at the time revealed anemia. A few years later, Richard noticed some changes in his bowel habits, including persistent constipation, that made him question his health. He consulted a gastroenterologist, who instructed him to stop taking Tylenol at night to help alleviate his symptoms.

But everything wasn’t fine. “It went on for several months. It wasn’t changing, and it wasn’t getting any better,” said Richard. That’s when he knew it was time to seek a fresh perspective.

Right care, right time

Richard turned to his Wellstar primary care physician, Dr. Roderick Rhyant, whom he and his wife had seen regularly since moving to Hiram. Dr. Rhyant helped coordinate care by referring Richard to a Wellstar specialist, board-certified gastroenterologist Dr. Benjamin Renelus.

During his first appointment with Dr. Renelus, Richard shared the results of his previous colonoscopies and recounted the recent gastrointestinal issues he’d been having. He described Dr. Renelus as someone who “lights up the whole atmosphere” and made him feel at ease discussing what can be a sensitive or difficult topic for many people.

“Richard was by and large very healthy for his age,” Dr. Renelus explained. But something wasn’t quite adding up: “What I saw in his labs was that his hemoglobin started to trend down, [indicating] there may be a GI bleed going on… but he’s not complaining of any abdominal pain. I thought, ‘This may be a tumor.’”

Like Richard, Dr. Renelus trusted his instincts—and when he didn’t feel confident with his patient’s prior colonoscopy report, he recommended a diagnostic colonoscopy. This screening test would allow him to directly examine the inside of the colon and rectum, and take a biopsy of any abnormal colon tissue.

“[Dr. Renelus] just looked at me and said, ‘You know what I’m going to say,’” Richard recalled with a laugh. “And I said, ‘That’s fine, doc. Whatever we’ve got to do. I’ve got to figure out what’s causing this.”

Knowing Richard was fit and healthy enough to undergo the procedure, Dr. Renelus scheduled the colonoscopy at the Outpatient Surgery Center at Wellstar Vinings Health Park. As it turned out, those gut feelings were right: The screening detected obstructive colon cancer.

Collaborative approach

Dr. Renelus shared the diagnosis with Richard, explaining that he had a malignant tumor originating from his colon.

“Breaking bad news, unfortunately, is something that’s not foreign to us as gastroenterologists,” he said. “But the good news is we have all the people in place at Wellstar.”

The physician promptly referred Richard to two of his Wellstar colleagues: Colorectal Surgeon Dr. Anushka Arumugasaamy, who would remove the tumor; and Hematologist/Oncologist Dr. William Forehand, who would oversee Richard’s colon cancer treatment and management.

“He was able to be seen so quickly,” Dr. Renelus said. “And I saw him in the office in between everything that was going on. He was always in good spirits. He trusted the process; he trusted me. There has to be trust on both sides. He did everything that we laid out for him.”

Richard first met with Dr. Arumugasaamy to assess the tumor. She ordered several imaging tests, including a lower abdominal CT scan and an MRI, to help stage Richard’s colon cancer and determine the most effective surgical approach. She then performed surgery to remove the tumor at Wellstar Cobb Medical Center.

The surgery was a success, and Richard experienced minimal pain afterward. Several months later, he saw Dr. Forehand to discuss next steps. Thankfully, Richard’s cancer levels looked good, so Dr. Forehand said they would continue to monitor for any signs of cancer recurrence.

When he returned to Dr. Forehand’s office six months later, the CT scan was “perfectly clear,” said Richard. As a final step, Dr. Renelus performed a post-surgery colonoscopy, where he removed one polyp and confirmed all cancer had been removed.

Richard will continue to see Dr. Forehand annually to ensure he remains cancer-free. “People who develop colon cancer have a 3% risk of developing another cancer within 10 years, so that’s a sizable number considering what they’ve already been through,” explained Dr. Renelus. “Ongoing surveillance is very important.”

Throughout his colon cancer treatment, Richard said he was treated with respect and compassion by every member of his Wellstar care team.

He especially appreciated Dr. Renelus’ expertise and guidance at every step. “He was great,” Richard shared. “The colonoscopy experience with him and the folks at Wellstar Vinings Health Park was fantastic.”

Screening saves lives

As colon cancer continues to rise—it is now the third most common cancer worldwide and ranks second in cancer-related death—regular screenings have become even more important.

“Colonoscopy is unique in the sense that it can prevent colon cancer by removing cancerous polyps,” explained Dr. Renelus. “And if you are diagnosed with colon cancer and we’re able to catch it at an earlier stage, your chance of survival exponentially increases.”

“I want people to trust themselves and if something feels off, go to the doctor,” he continued. “The reality is early detection is best.”

It’s also essential that patients feel comfortable bringing up any concerns with their healthcare providers, as open communication can make a big difference in treatment outcomes. In Richard’s case, Dr. Renelus said that “had he not trusted his gut or not mentioned some of these cue words with me, I don’t know if the colonoscopy would have even been explored with someone like him.”

In sharing his story, Richard hopes he can encourage others to let go of their fears and go get screened.

“If you start noticing something is different—[that] a normal process of your body changes—you need to understand why,” he shared. “That’s what happened to me, and I was fortunate to get my appointment with Dr. Renelus.”

“And if it is colon cancer, don’t give up,” he continued. “It’s very treatable when caught early. The doctors and the facilities are well equipped to do it. So get it taken care of before it gets worse.”

Learn more about colon cancer care at Wellstar and how colorectal cancer screening saves lives.