Finishing Strong

Kathy Haynes followed her heart to begin her lung cancer journey.

An avid runner and triathlete, Kathy went through the heart screening program offered by Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi. During follow up scans, the medical team found her heart was in good shape, but she had a nodule in one of her lungs.

“I wasn’t sick at all,” Kathy said. “I had no symptoms.”

Without the heart screening, Kathy would likely not have found her lung cancer at an early stage. She was diagnosed in November 2023 with a form of lung cancer most common in women who do not smoke.

“It hasn’t been a cakewalk, but I’ve learned a lot,” said Kathy, who was preparing to retire after a 44-year career in respiratory therapy at North Mississippi Health Services when she was diagnosed.

Watchful waiting

The nodule discovered in Kathy’s lungs was very small, an estimated 6 mm by 11 mm, about the size of a pencil eraser. As Kathy wasn’t considered high risk for lung cancer, her medical team recommended watching the nodule closely, with CT scans repeated every few months. The size and location of Kathy’s nodule would have made it difficult to biopsy using traditional techniques and carried a risk of pneumothorax (collapsed lung).

The results of her October 2023 scan suggested the nodule had grown slightly. New technology installed at North Mississippi Medical Center allowed her medical team, led by pulmonologist Dr. Jaime Ungo, to use a robotic-assisted platform to safely reach the nodule for a biopsy.

That biopsy revealed the nodule was malignant.

“I was really angry about that at first,” said Kathy, who had been looking forward to post-retirement travel with her husband, Greg.

Kathy’s case was reviewed by the NMMC lung tumor conference, a multidisciplinary team that brings together pulmonologists, surgeons, oncologists and radiologists with the Cancer Care team. Because her cancer was found at such an early stage, Kathy didn’t require chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Kathy prepared for surgery in her own way. She ran 10 miles the weekend before surgery.

Although the nodule was very small, the surgery removed two of the five lobes from her lungs.

“I still didn’t have to go to the ICU and only had to spend two nights in the hospital,” Kathy said.

Kathy was determined to make the most of her recovery.

“Everything I read said walking every day for the first 30 days was the key for regaining lung capacity after surgery,” she said. “It was hard at first; I would get out of breath drying my hair.”

Friends took shifts at the hospital to back up Kathy’s husband. They walked with her as she was recovering. Her niece, Wyndi, would walk with her virtually.

Four weeks after surgery, Kathy was able to take a trip to Montana with her husband and complete a mile-long hike.

“I had no problem with the altitude,” Kathy said. “If people saw me, they couldn’t tell I had surgery.”

Her medical team released her to start running at seven weeks. She returned to spin classes and swimming as well. She found support from family members who had been through lung surgery and a lobectomy support group online. Their experience helped her deal with occasional nerve pain and numbness in unexpected spots.

“I haven’t had a lot of pain, just some discomfort,” Kathy said. “These are things you can take in stride.”

In February, with the blessing of her cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Vishal Sachdev, she climbed a mountain. This summer, Kathy completed seven triathlons, just shy of her typical eight to 10. While her lung function won’t ever return to her pre-surgery levels, Kathy does test in the normal range for her age.

“My running is a little slower, but my biking and swimming are about the same,” Kathy said.

She hopes by sharing her story she can be an advocate for lung cancer survivors and the importance of early detection.

“I just want there to be more focus on lung cancer,” she said.

Never too late

There’s no question Kathy’s strong fitness levels helped her recover from lung surgery. But she hasn’t always been fit.

“I was an athlete in high school and college, but then I got busy working and raising kids, and I gained quite a bit of weight,” Kathy said.

In 2012, she set out to improve her fitness to combat high blood pressure. Losing weight and staying active allowed her to drop blood pressure medicine.

The key to building and maintaining her fitness has been connecting with the Steel Magnolias running group, which runs several mornings a week. She celebrated her 65th birthday with a run with 21 members of the Steel Magnolias.

“If you’re meeting someone, it makes a difference, Kathy said.

Lung cancer couldn’t keep triathlete Kathy Haynes out of the race